


Highway to Hell

by tucuxia



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Adam Milligan, Alpha Arthur Ketch, Alpha Balthazar (Supernatural), Alpha Benny Lafitte, Alpha Castiel (Supernatural), Alpha Castiel/Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Sam Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Asmodeus Being an Asshole (Supernatural), Azazel Being an Asshole (Supernatural), BAMF Castiel (Supernatural), Bad Parent John Winchester, Biker Castiel (Supernatural), Biker Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester Wears Panties, Dean's life hasn't been great, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Gabriel Has a Crush on Sam Winchester, Good Person Michael (Supernatural), Good Sibling Lucifer (Supernatural), M/M, Omega Crowley (Supernatural), Omega Dean Winchester, Omega Gabriel (Supernatural), Omega Gadreel (Supernatural), Omega Samandriel (Supernatural), Past Abuse, Protective Gabriel (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2020-12-27 15:22:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 49,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21120962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tucuxia/pseuds/tucuxia
Summary: Castiel, who shares leadership of the Hells Angels biker gang with his two older alpha brothers, finds out that a rival gang has been encroaching on their territory. During a tense meeting with the Devil's Blood gang in Lawrence, KS, he becomes the owner of a scared, broken young omega named Dean. Having forgotten how to speak after a decade under Azazel's cruel ownership, can the young omega learn to trust his new family, and maybe reconnect with the one he lost?





	1. Moneytalks

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first modern omega!Dean fic I have written, and it's kind of a companion piece to my HS AU with alpha!Dean & omega!Castiel. I like the idea of Cas as a biker gang leader, and of course Hells Angels works perfectly for them. This chapter is kinda long, mostly because of the meeting scene, but future ones will be shorter. There is a mention of forced abortions (when the omega didn't know or didn't agree to the procedure), but it's brief.
> 
> Every chapter title should be an AC/DC song unless I somehow write more than they did.

Chapter 1: Moneytalks

* * *

Smoke curled through the seedy bar, whispering across the patrons' skin as they shuffled between the pool tables and their food. One of them, a raven-haired biker with intense azure eyes, watched as his older brother hustled another game of pool, the blonde omega grinning as he collected his earnings and returned to the back couches. He grabbed one of the beers and drained it quickly, grinning at the tall alpha. "I love new towns."

"Gabriel." The alpha offered his shorter companion a long-suffering sigh before taking a swig of his own beer. "One day someone is going to punch your pretty face in."

"Good thing my big, bad alpha brother will kick their ass for daring to lay a finger on me."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Castiel, are you ready to go?" The alpha's second, a lean, hedonistic alpha who could always be counted on to find the best parties, slid into the seat beside his leader and nodded toward the door. "We have to get on the road if you want to make Lawrence by morning."

"I don't particularly care if we make Lawrence at all," Castiel growled, running his fingers across one of the colorful tattoos on his arm. "But I suppose we have to be at that meeting."

"Unless you want to disobey Michael."

Castiel rolled his eyes and shook his head. Sometimes he fought with his oldest brother, but he would never challenge him for leadership of the dozens of loosely related Hells Angels biker clans. He enjoyed leading his own gang and had no intention of taking on the responsibility and stress of managing anything more. "Gather the boys."

"Yes, sir."

Ten minutes later, the quiet small-town night was shattered by the deep rumble of dozens of motorcycle engines, from the deep baritone growl of the big cruisers and touring bikes to the shrill cries of the smaller sport bikes used by the younger guards. They filed down the one main road toward the highway and the early-morning meeting in Lawrence, Kansas.

* * *

Benny leaned back in his seat and sipped his coffee, blue eyes constantly scanning the room in clear contrast to his relaxed appearance. He was a front guard for the Midwest Hells Angels clan, and he was scouting the Lawrence meeting location for his boss, Castiel. The raven-haired alpha had taken Benny in after the Louisiana native had lost his mate Andrea in childbirth three years earlier, and he had ridden with the gang ever since. Benny owed Castiel for showing him that life was still worth living, even after everything he had lost, so he was glad when he could pay back some small part of that debt.

The burly alpha watched as Azazel, head of the local chapter of the Devil's Blood biker gang, slithered into the bar, his lieutenant Alastair, three alpha guards, two beta riders, and three ragged young omegas in his wake. There weren't many laws protecting omegas from their dominant partner, as long as they were legally owned, and it was clear that Azazel didn't much care about how they were treated in his gang. The tallest, a male, was skinny and dirty, road grime coating a face that could be pretty if it had seen a bar of soap in the last few months. He wore an old canvas jacket and a ragged black leather collar, probably the cheapest his alpha could buy, and his jeans were worn thin and riddled with holes and poor patch jobs. The other two omegas were female, much smaller, and wearing newer clothes. Benny could tell that they were somewhat younger than the boy, but they seemed to belong to more considerate partners, and he found himself feeling sorry for the young male.

The sallow, slimy-looking, yellow-eyed alpha took a seat against the wall, his people claiming a few other tables throughout the diner as a smiling waitress approached to take their orders. The male omega, sitting silently at the alpha's side with his hands in his lap, looked up for just a moment, his brilliant jade eyes meeting Benny's wary blue from across the room. The alpha could see the pain and the desperation there, but Azazel smacked the boy a moment later and he dropped his gaze.

Benny took a deep breath to calm himself, knowing better than to start a fight with another alpha over how he treated his omega. The Hells Angels had firm rules against mistreating omegas, probably because of how many omega siblings and cousins the lead alphas had, but most other gangs had no guidelines protecting them at all. Benny glanced at his phone, sending a quick text to Castiel's lieutenant with the number and threat evaluation of the Demon's Blood gang.

Balthazar's text notification vibrated from his phone where it sat on his leg under the table, and Benny glanced down to read the response.

_**Balthazar**_**:** _Good job, Benny. Patrons?_

_ **Benny: ** _ _Three, but they look almost done. Should be gone when you arrive._

_ **Balthazar:** _ _ Good. Don't blow your cover, even after we arrive. Ishim and Inias will arrive in ten and back you up._

_ **Benny:** _ _ Heard, Brother._

As promised, the tall, graying alpha and his slender beta partner entered the diner a few minutes later, both dressed impeccably in suits and ties. Ishim's dark gray pinstripe three-piece suit covered all of his tattoos and offered him the cover of a high-profile lawyer, and young Inias looked every bit the part of a nervous paralegal. They carried briefcases filed with actual court papers and legal documents, settling into a seat halfway across the room from Benny as they ordered coffee and muffins. Nothing in their demeanor marked them as fierce members of a powerful biker gang, and hopefully nothing would happen that would require their assistance. They would be ready, though, in case the peace talks broke down.

It didn't take long for the Hells Angels to arrive, about ten minutes after the last civilians left the diner. Ishim and Inias looked up with a kind of detached curiosity as the gang of bikers strode through the door, but they returned to their work a moment later. Benny flagged down the young waitress for a refill as he did his best to emulate his clan members.

The first biker to enter the diner was dark-haired Arthur Ketch, a strong alpha who served as the clan's official assassin, taking care of the jobs that were too distasteful for other members of the family. He had recently taken a mate, though no one was sure why the omega Mick Davies accepted his suit, but they seemed to get along well enough. None of the clan's omegas had been invited to the meeting, except for Gabriel since it was physically impossible to prevent him from showing up wherever he wanted, and all of the alphas preferred to keep their partners safe from inter-gang relations that had a chance to go south quickly.

Ketch glared at Azazel and his thin-faced lieutenant, glancing over his shoulder and nodding. Balthazar, physically the polar opposite of the clan's assassin, entered second, a red bandana tied around his short blonde hair. His heavy leather jacket, emblazoned with the gang's logo and a few of his own personal patches, concealed a large number of knives, a few joints, a taser, two pairs of handcuffs, and at least one smoke bomb. He was the weapons master of the gang, but his deep v-neck shirt and hedonistic reputation ensured that every other biker clan would be quick to underestimate him. He was Castiel's lieutenant and personal bodyguard, and the Head Alpha wouldn't go anywhere without him.

The third alpha to enter was a dark-haired young female in a tight leather vest, her jeans and boots black. Hannah was actually one of the sweetest women Benny had met, but she had a hard exterior and would defend her clan from any threat. She kept a condo in the clan's home city of Chicago where her pregnant omega mate waited patiently for her return. She walked to Azazel's table and took a seat, leaning forward and exchanging pleasantries with the rival alpha, making certain that the Devil's Blood gang would obey the stipulations of the agreement that had been agreed upon weeks earlier. Azazel raised his arm and pointed at three other tables holding his people, murmuring something back that sounded snarky from Benny's position across the room.

Balthazar let his gaze pass slowly across the other patrons, not lingering on any of his men. Benny, in the pre-arranged signal that indicated that Azazel was telling the truth, grabbed a pack of sugar and emptied it into his cup before taking another sip. Balthazar pulled out his phone and typed something short, waiting patiently as another alpha and two betas entered the room, balancing out the two parties for the summit. Akobel, Malachi, and Isaac took seats at the other three tables, Hannah and Ketch joining them as Balthazar held the door open for the last two members of the biker gang.

Gabriel entered first, the short omega glaring at the Devil's Blood bikers as he stalked into the diner. People frequently underestimated him because of his height and subgender, but he had been determined to attend this meeting with his brother. Castiel entered a moment later, looking every bit the leader of a powerful biker gang, dressed in dark denim jeans, black boots, and a black leather jacket over his dark shirts, with raven hair mussed from his helmet. He tapped his brother's shoulder as he entered, striding to Azazel's table and taking a seat.

The other alpha growled and placed his hands flat on the table. "Castiel Novak, we agreed to bring an equal number of guards."

Castiel glanced at his brother, grinning darkly. "Omegas don't count, Azazel Prince. Gabriel is here as my omega, just like that boy here is attending as yours." He waved an unconcerned hand at the skinny boy trembling slightly beside the Devil leader, ignoring the flash of red in the other alpha's eyes and the sour scent of fear from the omega. Castiel hated the way some of the other gangs treated their omegas, as if they were no more than property, but he couldn't save every half-starved kid he came across. "Unless you want me to count your three omegas against my one? If so, I may have to consider you in breach of our agreement."

"No, your brother is welcome at this table," Azazel replied swiftly. "Let's get this over with."

"Fine. Michael sent me here to discuss your breach of our contracted borders. Hells Angels rule everything east of 35, including the major cities that it passes through. Do you know which cities those are, Azazel?"

The alpha shrugged, but the younger, black-bearded beta at his side cleared his throat. His accent was almost southern, even though he and his siblings were from Idaho, and he insisted on wearing a pure white suit, tie, boots, and leather jacket even on his bike. He was certainly strange, but the Hells Angels had never categorized Asmodeus a threat, though his three alpha siblings caused them no end of trouble. "Minneapolis, Des Moines, Wichita, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, and Laredo at the border."

"You missed Topeka," Gabriel snapped, his eyes flashing at the older alpha.

"Highway 35 stops at Emporia," Asmodeus argued. "Only 70 and 335 run through Topeka."

"The agreement between Hells Angels, Devil's Blood, and Demon Hunters was amended two years ago to give the Hunters more of the northern Midwest and to give you all of west Texas. You know full well that the agreement moved our border from 35 at Emporia to 335 at Topeka. That puts Lawrence squarely on our side of the border." Balthazar dropped a map on the table to emphasize his point, each of the three large territories marked with a different color.

Castiel crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair, waving the waitress away as she came to check on them. He didn't plan to be in this meeting long enough to need a drink. "You have been operating in Hells Angels territory for twenty months. You broke the accord almost as soon as it was signed. Michael is not pleased."

Azazel flinched at the implied threat in the other alpha's gravelly voice, glancing at his siblings as he considered his answer. He was the oldest of the Princes at forty-five, though Asmodeus looked older with that gray streak in his beard. Ramiel, Azazel's only alpha brother, leaned down to whisper something to his omega mate, grinning as the dark-haired girl leaned closer and nuzzled him. He was rumored to be the gentlest of the four, living secluded in a fishing cabin outside of Denver when he wasn't riding with the gang. Dagon, the only female of the bunch, shrugged at her older brother, clearly not caring enough to remember back to the contract they had all signed. "We don't recognize the validity of your claim."

"Good thing we brought a copy for you," Ketch purred, standing from his table and pulling a folded sheaf of papers out of his jacket pocket. He kept his movements slow and deliberate, telegraphing each action in an attempt to keep the peace. Ramiel took the papers from him and skimmed through it quickly, passing them off to Alastair.

"This doesn't explicitly list those cities," the lieutenant murmured. "I'll have to check our records back in Denver and ensure that this copy is legit."

"That's Azazel's seal at the bottom," Gabriel pointed out, struggling to keep his scent calm. "Surely you recognize your own master's mark."

Asmodeus turned the full force of his pale yellow gaze toward the omega, grinning salaciously at the smaller man. "My, my, listen to the omega pup who speaks like an alpha. Someone has forgotten his manners."

"That 'someone' has a name," Gabriel snapped, leaning forward toward the alpha and baring his teeth. "I'm Gabriel _Novak_, brother of Michael, Lucifer, and Castiel and you will show me some respect. Or I will rip your throat out."

Asmodeus snorted. "Yeah? You and what army?" Gabriel growled and snapped his teeth, fully determined to kill this alpha, accord or not. Asmodeus's arm shot out, the older biker moving much faster than Gabriel had anticipated, and grabbed his throat. Unable to resist his omega instincts, Gabriel froze at the pressure of the fingers on the back of his neck, every muscle in his body trying desperately to _submit._

Castiel, however, was not frozen. He had Azazel pinned to the table mere seconds later, Ketch and Balthazar pulling Asmodeus away from Gabriel as the rest of the Hells Angels grabbed the Demon's Blood bikers. Benny, Ishim, and Inias even joined the sudden brawl, pulling Alastair and Abaddon away from their alpha as they waited for the oldest Prince to submit.

"What is the meaning of this?! You brought additional men? We had an agreement!"

"No, Azazel," Castiel replied calmly. "Three members of my gang just happened to be here eating, and your brother's inappropriate actions toward Gabriel forced them to come to his defense. This is, after all, _my_ territory."

Azazel struggled against Castiel's tight grip, but the younger alpha had been fighting bigger opponents his entire life and he would not let the Demon's Blood biker free. When Azazel finally stopped twisting and struggling, when he finally realized that he had lost, Castiel dug his elbow into the other alpha's lower back, eliciting a half-formed scream of pain. "We concede your claim!" Azazel gasped, kicking out with his legs in an attempt to escape. "We're, uh, sorry for the misunderstanding."

Castiel pulled Azazel to his feet, waiting for Balthazar to cuff him before pushing him back to his seat. He had won the physical altercation, now he had a mental game to play, and those he rarely lost. "I'm not sure that sorry is good enough, Azazel. Any revenue loss is immaterial when compared to what your brother just tried to do to mine. As an unmated omega, Gabriel belongs to me, and I have every right to demand recompense for the emotional and physical damage Asmodeus has caused to my property." The alpha didn't believe in the way many biker gangs treated omegas, especially males, like chattel, but he knew that he had to talk like them in tense situations like this. Gabriel knew his brother's heart, so he would gladly play the part of the injured young omega if it helped in negotiations with rival gangs.

"Damage? He barely touched your brother!"

Castiel pulled Gabriel closer and gently touched his neck, pointing at the dark bruises already forming on the omega's neck. The blonde refused to wear a collar, so the damage was even more obvious, and Gabriel always tended to bruise easily. "This will take weeks to heal, if it even will. I can't have the value of a young, fertile omega diminished when he has not yet been promised to an alpha. Besides, punishment in omega crimes often has more to do with intent than actual result, and Asmodeus certainly intended to leave more marks than this. It seemed to me that he planned to steal Gabriel."

"Don't be ridiculous," Asmodeus scoffed, struggling against Ketch's iron grip. "I was just trying to shut him up! Damned omega needs to learn his place."

"And you planned to teach it to him, I suppose?" Ketch's smooth voice, heavy with accusation, stilled the beta he had pinned. "Your crimes now include intent to harm an omega, probable intent to kidnap an omega, and actual physical damage to an omega. I believe that Castiel can demand forty lashes for this, possibly castration if the judge rules on the kidnapping charge."

Asmodeus whined and struggled to escape, turning to his older brother for help. Clearly, they had underestimated the power of the Hells Angels gang, and they didn't believe for a moment that Castiel would turn them over to the cops. He would be the one to mete out punishment for these crimes. "Azazel!"

"Wait, Castiel, please! He's my brother; I don't want to see him hurt."

The raven-haired alpha leaned back in his seat, placing a comforting hand between Gabriel's shoulder blades. The omega whined softly and leaned into the touch, well accustomed to playing the part of the injured, frightened brother. Cas pet his hair gently, watching as Azazel's eyes widened. He had underestimated the bond between the biker brothers. "I wasn't spared from seeing my brother hurt. Why should you be? And we both know that fertile omegas are far, far more valuable than mouthy _beta_ brothers." Castiel sneered that last bit, knowing that it would strike a chord with the other gang leader.

"I'll pay you! Name your price to leave my brother unharmed."

"I don't need money," Castiel scoffed, trying to decide what he could get out of the agreement. As much fun as it would be to beat and castrate Azazel's younger brother, the consequences to his gang would be enormous, possibly starting a blood feud between the clans, and Gabriel wasn't actually hurt at all. He had to find a more diplomatic way out of this situation.

Azazel glanced to his side, at the half-starved young omega still staring quietly at the table even through the commotion. Cas wondered if the boy had heard or processed anything that had been said at the table. "What about an omega? I know that you ride alone."

"You can't trade away your mate," Castiel argued, admittedly intrigued by the offer.

"This isn't my mate," Azazel scoffed, pulling at his handcuffs. "My Lilith is waiting at home, pregnant with our third pup, but she refuses to get on the bike. This boy is my bed-warmer for long rides. He's very well trained in pleasure and service, and he knows that an omega is meant to be seen and not heard."

Castiel stared at the boy, one whose scent was completely muted by Azazel's rotten aroma, one who had not looked up or moved the entire meeting. Even the two female omegas had watched the other gang curiously or nuzzled their alphas before the fight started, but the boy clearly had no desire to be close to Azazel. Maybe he would welcome the change. "I don't need an omega."

"Of course you do," Azazel purred, leaning forward as much as his restrained arms would let him. "He's a good fuck, if a bit quiet, and incredibly fertile. He's had three pregnancies since I acquired him ten years ago."

Castiel narrowed his eyes as he considered Azazel's words. "He can't be more than twenty. You've had him since before he presented?"

"He's twenty-two," the older alpha corrected. "Yes, I had him before his first heat, but I spent the first few years training him to be a proper omega. You can reap the rewards of my fine work if you will let my brother be."

Balthazar leaned close enough to whisper in his boss's ear. "Benny wants you to take the boy, Cas. He thinks Azazel and possibly Alastair torture him." The two alphas had grown closer than brothers since the Cajun joined the gang, and Balthazar would often have intense, but completely silent conversations with Benny during meetings just like this one. Cas didn't bother to wonder how his lieutenant knew what the other alpha suspected, just accepted that he did.

Cas sighed and leaned back in his chair, intense azure eyes boring into the young omega. He knew that the boy sensed his scrutiny, but he never moved. "Three pregnancies," Cas repeated, suddenly remembering what Azazel had said. "Where are his pups?"

Azazel shrugged, and Cas felt ice flash through his veins as he realized what the alpha had done. "I can't have a pregnant omega on a bike. I got rid of them."

The boy did react to that, flinching away from his alpha as tears filled his green eyes. Cas saw Benny puff up from across the room, all of the members of his gang reacting to the thought of an omega forced to abort a pregnancy against his wishes. They would never have treated him so badly. Cas knew that he had to agree to the swap, the omega for Asmodeus's punishment.

"I suppose he'll do," Castiel growled, motioning for Ketch to cuff his prisoner and return him to his chair. "Do you have his ownership papers?"

"Of course, in my bag." Cas waved his hand and waited for Balthazar to remove Azazel's cuffs, both of them watching him closely as he reached into his bag for a brown envelope holding a sheaf of papers. Most people would keep documents as important as those in a lock box in their house, but Azazel didn't even trust his own mate, so he kept all of his important documents with him at all times.

Balthazar took the papers and glanced through them, nodding toward his boss. "They're legit. You'll need a notary, though; Kansas law requires it."

Benny snorted and reached into his pocket, sending a quick text. "Charlie is a notary. I'm calling her in."

Cas's clan had more female alphas than any other biker gang in the country, and Charlie was one of them. The petite redhead was a firecracker, a skilled computer hacker without compare, and a licensed notary in at least twenty states. She entered the diner and casually strode to her alpha's side, hands tucked in the pockets of her tight jeans, a black backpack slung over one shoulder as her emerald eyes examined the room. "Talks going well?"

"None of that," Cas scolded. "I'm buying an omega; are you a notary here?"

Charlie, to her credit, didn't even blink at the information, shrugging and digging into her bag. "Yeah, probably. What state are we in?"

"Kansas," Ketch supplied helpfully.

"Oh, yeah, I am." She pulled her stamp out of her bag and waved a hand for the papers, glancing through them quickly. "Yep, these are the originals. He's from here, actually. This is a Kansas seal. The owner is listed as Azazel Prince. He'll need to sign here, here, here, here, and here and then you'll have to initial these three clauses and sign everywhere he signed. There are three copies; you'll have to do all of them." The young alpha placed the papers in front of Azazel, handing him a pen and pointing. "Let's begin, then."

Cas watched the young omega, whose name he still didn't know, during the proceedings. The boy didn't move, didn't turn his head, and didn't make a single noise while his life was being signed away, and Cas truly hoped that he was making the right choice. The tear tracks on the omega's cheeks, remnants of his reaction to Azazel's casual discussion of the abortions he had endured, solidified the head alpha's determination. He would save this young man.

Azazel pushed the papers toward Castiel, handing over the pen. "What are you going to do for comfort now?" Castiel began to sign, keeping an eye on his opponent and trusting that his people would watch the other bikers.

"I'll pick up another pet," Azazel replied. "Maybe I won't. I have two teenage children, one who already rides with us, and an infant on the way. Keeping another omega may be more trouble than it's worth. I've thought about selling him a number of times."

"Fine," Cas replied, not really having anything better to say. He couldn't stop Azazel from finding another pour soul to torment, but he could save _this_ omega. "Charlie, your turn."

The redhead stamped the papers and signed her name, repeating the process on the other two copies. "I'll need to go to the town hall to file these."

"Is Azazel's part done?"

"Yes."

"Fine." Castiel pushed himself to his feet, glaring at the other biker alpha through narrowed azure eyes. "Leave, and don't return. This town belongs to us, and that boy belongs to me. I never want to have this conversation again, Azazel Prince."

"And you won't, Castiel Novak," the Devil's Blood biker promised, standing from his chair carefully, his gang members and their two omegas backing toward the door. He stopped behind his omega's chair and reached for the boy's collar, unbuckling it and tucking the piece of leather into his jacket pocket. The omega did look up at that, shock and fear in his jade eyes as his scent soured, finally strong enough to break through Azazel's aroma. He moved to stand, to follow his alpha, but Azazel pushed him back into the chair. "You're his bitch now," he explained cruelly, pointing at the raven-haired alpha. And with that he was gone, without even a farewell to the omega who had shared his bed for a decade.

"What's his name?" Cas glanced at Charlie as his gang spread out to the other tables, ready to have a quick breakfast now that the business of the morning was over. Balthazar and Benny stayed by their leader's side, as always providing him whatever support he needed.

"Uh, Dean. His name's Dean."

Cas took the chair beside the trembling omega, watching those green eyes follow his every move. He wondered how much of the altercation Dean had understood, or if he had become so used to being around his aggressive alpha that he tuned the rest of the world out. Dean watched Cas warily, slowly raising his hand to his throat to feel the skin that had been covered by his collar. A thick, pale line marked skin that had not seen sunlight in a decade. "Hello, Dean. My name is Castiel. I'm not sure how much you heard, but Azazel signed you over to me. I'm going to be taking care of you from now on."

Dean nodded slowly, indicating that he understood. The waitress, who had wisely stayed in the kitchen as soon as she realized that two gangs were meeting, returned to the table, cheerfully cleaning up what remained of the Devil's Blood's plates and cups. They had paid before the Hells Angels arrived, so she cleared their money away, as well. "Can I get you fellas anything to drink? I'll grab you a menu if you want."

"Yes, please. We'll all have some water to start." Cas waved at the chair on the other side of Dean, Gabriel taking that spot as Balthazar, Benny, and Ketch filled the rest of the table. "Dean, are you thirsty?" The omega nodded sharply, the empty table in front of him indicating that Azazel had not bought him breakfast or even allowed him a free glass of water while they waited for the other bikers to arrive. From the omega's reaction, Cas guessed that it happened a lot. "Do you want water or something else?"

Dean stared at the menu the waitress placed in front of him, slowly raising his hand to touch the picture of coffee. Gabriel reached over and pointed at the breakfast options, smiling gently at the younger omega. "Are you hungry, kiddo? I didn't see Azazel offer you anything to eat, and I bet you're starving after having to sit through all that fighting this morning." Dean nodded slowly, probably not trusting that Gabe was genuine. He would be more likely to open up to another omega than an alpha, though. "Ok, what do you like? I get pancakes or French toast, eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and sometimes toast."

Dean glanced at the pictures, settling on a meal that actually included all of those things, one that Gabe gladly ordered with him. Ketch and Benny stuck to omelets while Balthazar and Castiel joined the omegas with pancakes. "Dean, I'm sorry I didn't ask you about all of this before Azazel signed you over, but he's not the kind of alpha to have let you voice your opinion. I hope this is okay, you joining our gang."

Dean nodded carefully, sipping at his water while he waited for coffee. He pointed at his neck, then at Gabriel's, a question in his green eyes. The blonde refused to wear a collar, and since there had not been a collaring law in five decades, his brothers had never forced the issue.

"Do you want a collar? Gabe hates them, but if you got used to wearing one we can stop by a store. Mick, Gilda, and Lily wear them, but that's just because they're contrary little shits." Charlie, who had joined Hannah's table, snorted at the description of her wife, the other alpha chuckling as well. "They do it as a fashion statement, but I don't make any of my omegas wear them. I don't know if Azazel ever gave you a choice."

Dean narrowed his eyes and shrugged. It was unlikely that his former alpha gave him many choices at all. Gabriel tilted his head curiously, reaching out to brush his fingers against the other omega's throat. "You don't talk much, do you Dean-o?"

Dean shook his head, the faintest scent of fear radiating from his skin. Cas wondered how long it had been since Azazel last allowed the boy to speak, and what the punishment had been when he did so out of turn. "You don't have to talk if you don't want to," Cas assured him. "We'll get along just fine either way. Here's your coffee."

Dean nodded gratefully and took a sip, frowning and reaching for the sugar. He paused as he grabbed it, clearly waiting for punishment, but when none came he picked it up and poured some into his coffee. Once it was suitably sweet, the omega began to sip it, smiling to himself at the feeling of caffeine. It had clearly been a long time since he was allowed to have any.

"Do you have any belongings, Dean?" The omega slipped out of his dirty canvas jacket, revealing a small black backpack that had been hidden underneath. It was too small to carry much more than a single change of clothes and maybe some toiletries. "You don't have much in the way of clothes, then?" Dean pointed at his shirt and pants, eyes narrowed in confusion. Sure he had clothes; he was wearing them, wasn't he?

Benny leaned closer to Cas, keeping his voice low as the waitress arrived with food. "Boss, we can't jump on the road with him like this. You need to spend time with him, gain his trust, and maybe break some of the conditioning he certainly has from a decade with Azazel."

"I agree," the head alpha replied, smiling gratefully at the waitress. "We also need to get him cleaned up and clothed, if nothing else. Besides, I don't trust Azazel's retreat. If we leave, he very well may roll back into town tomorrow."

"What do you suggest?" Balthazar leaned halfway across the table so he could join the muted conversation, blue eyes flicking to the newest member of the gang.

"We'll stay here," Cas decided. "Half of the gang will take up residence here and the other half will return to Chicago to close up shop and rent out all of our properties. I'll need to call my brothers, too. Kansas is going to be our base of operations for the foreseeable future."

"Lawrence?" Gabriel cleared his mouth long enough to voice his incredulity. "You want us all to stay in this tiny town?"

"No, we'll put people in Topeka and Kansas City, as well. Most of the omegas and their mates will stay here, in Lawrence, and help Dean heal from his time with Azazel. Balthazar, get in contact with our people in Wichita and Oklahoma City, tell them to watch out for Devil's Blood members trying to take our territory. Send a message to the Head Alpha of the Demon Hunters while you're at it, and arrange a meeting."

"On it, boss."

"I'll get us hotel rooms for the next few weeks and dig up a real estate agent," Benny offered. "Do you want to rent or own?"

"Owning is always easier. Get me a meeting with the agent as soon as you can; I hate hotels."

The two alphas wolfed down the last of their food and headed out the door, each to complete his own tasks. They rarely left Castiel's side, but there were enough gang members in the diner to keep their boss and his family safe. "A change of scenery is just what we need!"

Charlie snorted as she pulled out her cell phone, having heard enough of the conversation to realize that she would have to move her mate to Lawrence. "Gabe, remind me to tell Gilda that you think this is a _great_ idea."

The blonde omega slouched down in his chair and turned back to his food. Angering Charlie's mate was a terrifying prospect.


	2. Are You Ready

Chapter 2: Are You Ready

* * *

Castiel walked into the hotel room first, instincts demanding that he ensure the room was safe for his omega. Dean, who had hopped onto Cas's bike without complaint and ridden silently the dozen or so miles from the diner, entered behind him, hands twitching nervously at his sides. He looked around warily, emerald eyes wide as he took in the small couch, television, and in-room kitchenette in the front of the suite, a balcony in the back, and doors on either side that led to the two private bedrooms. Each bedroom contained a huge, king-sized bed, a small dresser, and an office desk with matching chair next to glass doors leading to a private balcony. There was also a single bathroom opposite the kitchen in the living area. Cas couldn't tell what he was feeling under the lingering stench of Azazel's scent, but he hoped that the boy was at least somewhat pleased by the surroundings. They were going to be there for a few weeks at least.

Gabriel shuffled in after them, having stopped at the front counter to ask for some extra supplies. He carried a number of small bottles of scented shampoo and conditioner, body wash formulated for omegas, razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and as many tiny bottles of bubble bath as he could manage. He deposited his bounty in the bathroom before heading toward the left bedroom with his backpack. Dean followed Cas into the other bedroom, glancing at the bed before turning to watch the alpha.

Cas glanced at Dean and frowned, noting the dirt ground into his skin and the ragged edges of his clothes. "Do you want to get washed up? Gabe put some soap and shampoo in the bathroom for you; it might be a good time for a long shower." Dean nodded and took off his jacket, placing it and his small bag against the wall. He kicked off his shoes before turning to leave, clearly planning to get dressed in the same grimy clothes after his shower.

Cas cleared his throat and held out a stack of clothes, having already determined that the omega, though skinny, was his height, with broad shoulders that should fill out more once he started to eat regularly. "Change into these once you're clean. I'll take you shopping later, but I don't want you to have to wear those dirty clothes anymore. Leave them on the bathroom floor and I'll take care of them, later, okay?" Dean nodded and reached out for the clothes, holding them away from his body as he headed for the bathroom.

As soon as the sound of the shower filled the small space, Gabriel slipped into Cas's room, already having changed his shirt and brushed his hair. "What do you think of him?"

"He's terrified," Cas replied, sorting his belongings into two of the drawers and leaving two open for Dean. The boy wouldn't have enough to fill it, yet, but the alpha was determined to change that. "Everything he has ever known is gone, but he is using obedience and silence as a way to adapt to this new situation. We need to take him shopping, get him out of clothes that smell like his old alpha, his old life."

"You need to get him a collar, too." Gabriel raised his hands defensively as the look his brother shot him. "Look, I'm not normally one to advocate something like that, but I think he would find it comforting. He's been rubbing his neck off and on since Azazel left, and his eyes were sad every time he did it. I think you should let him pick one out that he likes and gift it to him, making it clear that he is the only one who can put it on and take it off. Azazel never gave him any control over his life, so this one thing may be enough to help him heal."

"I don't like the idea of collaring omegas."

"I know you don't, baby bro, but some omegas like it. Mick says that his collar comforts him, especially when Ketch is away, but he can take it off whenever he wants."

"You're the expert on omegas," Cas conceded, finding his toiletries bag and placing it on top of the dresser. "We'll try that as soon as Dean is clean."

Gabe nodded and stretched out on Cas's bed, staring at the ceiling. "Alfie texted me."

"He goes by Samandriel now."

The omega snorted, rolling over on his side to face his brother. "Really? His first name was too much of a mouthful when we were growing up, but now it's kosher? That boy, I swear."

"Are you going to tell me what he said?"

"Yeah, he wants to come to Lawrence. He wants to help with Dean." Samandriel Alfred Novak was the youngest of the five brothers, the only one of them not tied to a specific clan. He had spent two years with Lucifer's band and one riding with Michael before settling into Chicago earlier that year, so his plan to move to Kansas under Cas's leadership wasn't much of a surprise. He was barely eighteen, but already used to a life on the road, and he enjoyed the adventure.

"Word travels fast," Cas murmured, pulling out his phone to check his messages. "He'll have to stay in your room and we'll need to find him someone he can ride with. Benny maybe?"

"That'll probably work. I'll keep riding with Balthazar until I find a big, strong, dominant male alpha of my own." Gabe and Balthazar were generally on good terms, but they tended to rub each other the wrong way from time to time. They would ride together for now, but Gabriel usually preferred his brother's bike.

Cas looked up as he heard the shower turn off, wondering how long it was going to take the omega to get dressed and join them. He smiled as the door to the bathroom opened and he caught his first whiff of Dean's natural scent, finally free of Azazel's stench. Cinnamon, vanilla, and apple filled the room, a perfect mix that reminded him of the apple pies his mother used to cook when the Novaks were kids. Dean shuffled into the bedroom, dressed in Cas's jeans with a towel in one hand and two shirts in the other. He finished drying his hair and placed the towel on the floor to hang up later, smiling warily at Gabe as he tugged the t-shirt over his head. Cas could see years of scars, burns, and marks on the boy's skin, his ribs prominent along his sides as half-healed bruises dotted his chest.

"Are you feeling better, Dean?" The omega nodded, sniffing the denim overshirt before slipping his arms into the sleeves and buttoning it up. He took a cautious whiff of the room, curious eyes focused on Cas as he scented his new alpha, no longer mired in the rotten aroma of his previous owner. Omegas relied on their acute sense of smell to navigate the world, so being tied to an alpha who had such a reprehensible stench, one who apparently did not allow Dean sufficient time and supplies to bathe himself, must have been terrifying for the boy.

Clean, Dean was a striking man, with bright green eyes, a spattering of freckles across his nose and cheeks, and a face that a model would die for. He was a little on the skinny side, but Cas could see from his frame that he would be a physical match for any alpha once he started eating regularly. "You're really lovely," the alpha found himself saying, having enough control to keep any arousal out of his scent but still wanting to offer the boy a compliment.

Dean blushed and glanced down at his bare feet, smiling and biting his lower lip. Azazel had probably never said anything nice to his omega, but Cas hoped that a little gentleness would go a long way. Gabriel cleared his throat to break the tension in the room, grinning as the other omega looked up into his eyes. "Ready to get some clothes, kiddo?"

Dean nodded and picked up his towel, rubbing his hair with it one more time before taking it back to the bathroom and hanging it up. He took the socks that Cas offered him and jammed his feet back into his boots, though they looked a little small. Gabriel dug through his brother's clothes and found his backup leather jacket, the vibrant symbol for the Hells Angels emblazoned on the back. Dean accepted the gift silently, eyes wide in awe as he pulled it on. It was unlikely Azazel had ever considered the boy part of his gang, so he would never have worn a biker's leather jacket before. Cas grabbed his keys and helmet, handing Dean his as the trio headed outside. His lieutenant and burly Cajun bodyguard would meet them downstairs, having both volunteered for a day of shopping with their newest clan member.

* * *

Cas leaned against the wall near the omega dressing room, his two friends beside him as they waited patiently for Gabe to finish helping Dean try on the absolute mountain of clothes the group of bikers had picked out. Dean had been afraid to touch anything on the rack or express even the slightest interest in the outfits he saw, so Gabe had grabbed a collection of things he thought would look nice on his fellow omega and dragged him toward the dressing room.

Dean emerged from the dressing rooms slowly, staring at his hands as Gabe gently nudged him forward. "Look in the mirror," the golden eyed Novak murmured encouragingly. Dean turned around and caught sight of himself, gasping silently as his reflection. Gabriel had chosen a soft, forest-green shirt for the boy, matching it with dark denim jeans and a light gray flannel. "Do you like it, Dean?"

The omega nodded, pulling on the shirt that fit him perfectly, running his fingers over the silky material before tugging on his pants to check the fit. He bit his lower lip and looked up at Cas, his emerald eyes practically begging the alpha to let him keep the nice clothes. "You can have them, Dean," the alpha promised, reaching out to run his hand down the boy's arm. "Were there other shirts you liked, other colors or patterns?" Dean nodded. "Ok, now that you know your size, gather all the ones you like and we'll go pay for them, okay?"

Dean nodded enthusiastically and dashed back to the dressing room. Gabe grinned and followed, knowing that the other omega would need his help to carry out all of the clothes he decided to keep. Benny leaned closer to Cas, tapping the other alpha's arm. "Your brother told us that we're planning to head to a collar store after we get the boy shoes. I saw the marks on his neck where Azazel's collar has rubbed him raw in the past."

"Gabe says he needs the comfort of it. We'll let him make the final decision."

Balthazar shrugged, pulling out his phone as it dinged at him. "Hey, Boss; Hannah found us a real estate agent she likes. We have an appointment this afternoon." He raised his eyes as he read through what was certainly a huge paragraph of text that could have been summed up in two words, though he would parse out the important parts for his cousin. The tiniest hint of interest or mild arousal spiked in his scent; clearly Hannah had sent a picture of this agent and Balthazar was intrigued.

"Okay, fine. How long do we have?"

"About five hours."

Cas nodded; that would give them enough time to get Dean all of the supplies he would need and drop them off at the hotel. Maybe he would let the omega stay in their room and relax while he and the alphas looked at houses. Before he had come to a decision, Dean and Gabe emerged from the dressing room, a dozen shirts and half as many pairs of pants in their arms. Smiling at the joy in Dean's apple-pie scent, Cas led them to the register.

* * *

Dean wasn't sure what to think of his new alpha. He hadn't paid any attention to the altercation between Azazel and this Castiel person, but he had understood that his old master had thrown him away, trading him like so much property to an alpha he had never met. The raven-haired man seemed nice, but Azazel had also seemed nice the few times he visited Dean's childhood home before the sale. Azazel had never taken him to a store and bought him clothes, though, and Dean knew that he had a lot of shirts and pants on the counter. Castiel, though, paid for it all with a smile, asking the clerk to have everything delivered to their hotel. It wasn't far, but of course he had to pay for that service, and he handed over a few crisp bills without a thought. Strange alpha, this Castiel Novak.

Dean followed his new alpha in silence as they threaded their way through the stores, not sure where they were going. In the last ten years, he had taught himself to completely drown out his surroundings no matter what Azazel or his gang members were doing, and he had become so good at it that he often found his thoughts wandering without his permission. It had saved him from numerous punishments from Azazel, but Castiel seemed to have no rules at all for him to follow or break. So far, the alpha had barely touched him, and he certainly had not grown cross or violent. Even his two alpha friends were kind, especially the bigger one with the beard.

The group eventually reached the store Castiel had been looking for, and Dean's eyes widened in shock. A _collar_ store. Finally. Now this new master was acting like a proper alpha, like the kind Dean had come to know since his father sold him. Not having a collar, not having any mark of his new alpha on his person, had bothered the young omega. He could see that Castiel's brother, this golden-eyed Gabriel, did not wear a collar, but Dean missed that feeling around his neck. He wasn't ready to lose it.

Dean looked up as Castiel spoke, cursing himself for losing focus again. Azazel had rarely spoken to him like a person, just giving basic orders that any dog could follow. Castiel seemed to want a response, some sort of interaction, and Dean was going to have to learn to give it to him. He had to please his new alpha or he would end up somewhere even worse. Dean shook his head and looked away, hoping that Castiel would not be angry that he had not heard.

"It's your choice, Dean. If you want a collar, I will buy you something from this store, anything your heart desires. If you don't want one, we'll leave; I'm not going to make you wear it."

Dean nodded that time, slowly walking away from the alphas as he glanced at the collars on display. Azazel had bought him a simple, black leather dog collar, not even a proper, lined omega collar, and he still bore faint scars from the damage it had done to his neck. These were nice collars, though, some of them with big rings, some with small rings, and some that had none at all. He liked those the best, and he hoped that Castiel would not be angry if he chose one that couldn't have a leash attached. Azazel had put him on a leash in public multiple times, mostly to humiliate the omega. Once, he had done it while Dean was in heat, laughing as other alphas groped him, slapped his ass, and rubbed up against him.

Dean pushed that memory away, reminding himself that this alpha seemed different, that he didn't seem to want to hurt, punish, or humiliate the omega he had won in a brawl. Dean stopped at a vibrant display against the back wall, eyes focusing on a soft green leather collar embroidered with golden flowers and studded with tiny diamonds. It was beautiful, sparkling in the light, and he thought that someone would have to love their omega very much to let them wear something so gorgeous.

Castiel appeared behind Dean, instantly tracing his gaze. "Is that what you want, the green one? It's very lovely Dean, matches your eyes."

"Yes, that collar would look pretty on your omega," the shopkeeper oozed, having followed the raven-haired alpha as soon as she realized how much he might be willing to spend. "It comes with or without a D-ring, and embroidery is free."

"Do you want a ring on it?" Dean shook his head emphatically, shocked when the alpha smiled gently at him. "Okay, Dean, no ring then. She said she can embroider something inside it if you want. Would you like that?"

Dean took a breath and nodded, already knowing that he needed to feel his new master's name against his throat. He hadn't desired any kind of mark from Azazel, though the sadistic bastard had left plenty, but he wanted something from Castiel. He wanted to feel _safe_ when the alpha wasn't around. He pointed at his master, then at his neck.

"You want my name on it? Just my name or something else? I don't really want to do that traditional 'Property of' thing, but maybe we could put 'Protected by Castiel Novak'. Would that work for you?"

Dean felt tears fill his eyes as he nodded; this alpha could read his mind. He wanted to speak, to thank Castiel for everything he was doing, but no sound came out when he opened his mouth. It had been years since he had heard his own voice, years since he had screamed himself raw during his "training" and Azazel beat him for even the slightest whimper. He had learned the value of silence.

Gabriel leaned close enough to hug his fellow omega, Dean taking some comfort in his gardenia and cherry blossom scent. He had never spent time with other omegas except for Azazel's cruel mate and one of his pups, but this blonde seemed gentle and generous, so Dean relaxed into the embrace. "It's okay if you can't talk; Dean. Cassie understands you anyway."

The alpha smiled and nodded, turning to the clerk to order the collar and give her the message to embroider. She promised that it would be delivered to their hotel by morning, and he paid her with another wad of cash. Dean was pretty sure that Castiel had already spent more on him in a handful of hours than Azazel had spent in ten years, and he truly hoped that he could live up to whatever it was the man expected from him.

* * *

Castiel led Dean and Gabriel back into their hotel suite, Benny and Balthazar settling on the couch as the others headed for their rooms. Dean followed his alpha, hands twisted in the hem of his shirt as his scent soured somewhat. Cas glanced at the omega as he took a seat on the edge of the bed, green eyes focused on his hands. He looked . . . lost? It was almost like he had run out of anything to do and now he was waiting for something to happen. Cas suddenly wondered what Dean had done when Azazel was busy or gone during the day.

"Dean, what do you do in your free time?" The omega glanced up at that, shock in his eyes. He was sure he had heard the alpha correctly, but free time wasn't something he had truly ever had. Not since his dad figured out that he was going to present as an omega and not the alpha son that John Winchester had so desired. "When Azazel was gone and his mate didn't have any tasks for you, what did you do?"

Dean slid off the bed and walked to the desk, pushing the chair to one side and moving to sit underneath the dark-colored piece of furniture. He leaned against the side panel, possibly the most comfortable position since he was too tall and had to duck his head, placed his hands in his lap, wrists together, and stared straight ahead. It took almost a full minute for Cas to realize what he was looking at, and the faintest hint of anger peppered his scent.

"He made you sit under a table like that? What, for hours at a time?" Dean, who wasn't sure how to tell Cas that sometimes his confinement had lasted for days, held out his hands, miming the shape of a box. Maybe the alpha would understand. "Ok, not under a table. In a box? No, something else . . . a cage? Azazel kept you in a cage?"

Dean nodded; didn't everyone keep their bought omegas secured while they weren't needed? He had seen Alastair bring a young omega boy to Azazel's house once, younger than him, with scars on his back and red marks around his wrists where he had fought his restraints. Dean had fought when he was young, too, but he had learned quickly that obedience gained him time alone and peace from his alpha. Azazel had offered Dean's cage to hold the boy for the night, locking him in the basement while the alphas met upstairs. Dean had felt sorry for the wailing omega, but he had been allowed to sleep on the dog bed upstairs, albeit chained to the table, and it was much nicer up there. He had never seen the boy again.

Cas's scent broke him free of his memories, the alpha's eyes flashing red. Dean cowered under the table, the faintest whine vibrating his throat as he waited to see what punishment the alpha had in store for him. Why was this raven-haired man so furious?

Cas heard the whine, the first noise that Dean had been able to make, and his rage evaporated in a second. He crouched down a few feet away from the trembling omega, offering a gentle smile and forcing his scent to soften. "I'm not angry at you, Dean," he whispered, keeping his hands on his knees where the boy could see them. Certainly Azazel had never hesitated to take out his anger on his omega, regardless of what had caused it. "I'm angry at him, at what he did to you, and the more I learn, the more I regret letting him go. He abused you, an omega who was under his care, who couldn't help but trust him, and he had no right to do what he did. Damn these archaic laws out here that mark you as property and not a real person. I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not _ever_ going to hurt you, and I am _nothing_ like him. I'm going to take care of you, Dean, because that's what you deserve."

Slowly, incredulous jade eyes locked on his alpha, Dean unfolded himself from under the table, crawling closer to the older man. He reached out and brushed his fingers against the back of Cas's hand, trying to show the older man that he did trust him, that he believed him. Cas reached out and ran his fingers through Dean's dark blonde hair, smiling as the omega leaned into the caress and tried to purr. His throat vibrated, but only the faintest noise escaped.

A sharp knock on the door broke the tableau, Dean skittering back under the desk as Cas pushed himself to his feet. "Boss? Hannah said that the agent can meet a little earlier than expected. If you want to get this handled before supper, we gotta leave now."

"Thank you, Balthazar," Cas replied, reaching out to help Dean stand. As soon as the omega had recognized the voice, he had relaxed enough to leave the safety of the furniture, returning to his seat on the bed. The door to the bedroom opened while Cas was gathering his supplies, tucking his wallet into an inside pocket in his leather jacket while Dean waited patiently. Gabriel slipped inside, already dressed in dark jeans and a camo shirt under his leather jacket, ready to meet with the real estate agent. The oldest omega child of Chuck and Naomi Novak usually stuck to colors and styles that were traditionally alpha, as if daring the world to argue with him. Dean looked him over and thought that he would prefer more vibrant shades in his own wardrobe.

"Ready to go, baby bro?"

Cas nodded, reaching out to run his fingers through Dean's hair again. His brother watched the exchange silently, secretly overjoyed that the two seemed to be getting along so well. "The boys and I are going to go meet with a real estate agent who can help us find somewhere to live here in Lawrence. I thought you might want to stay in the room and relax while we're gone."

Dean's face fell at that, fear darkening his scent as he turned to stare at the empty space beneath the desk. Azazel had left him alone all the time, but that alpha owned him for a decade, so Dean had been sure that he would always come back. This new alpha, though? This Cas, who didn't order him around or lock him up, how could Dean be sure he would return? Maybe he would realize how much an omega cost and just drive away, leave Dean alone in this town. He heard himself whine again as he rose on shaky legs, prepared to tuck himself away in his corner and wait for his alpha, even if this man planned to abandon him. What else could he do?

Cas's sharp growl shocked Dean out of his thoughts, a firm but gentle hand wrapping around his arm. "No, I'm not leaving you here if you're going to be miserable and hide under the table the whole time. Grab your helmet; you're coming with us."

"Cassie, he'll be fine for a couple of hours." Gabe was confused at his brother's reaction, sure that it was a bit over the top when all Dean did was whine a little. "He can stay here and watch tv or something instead of being dragged halfway across town."

"He's not going to watch tv, Gabe; he's going to sit under the desk and stare at the ground, sure that I've abandoned him." Cas placed a hand on Dean's shoulder as the omega returned to his side, scent calm and somewhat happy, helmet in his hand. "Azazel used to leave him alone for hours, maybe days at a time, and I won't have him sit here and wonder if I'm ever coming back. He's not going to be left alone until I'm sure he's ready for it."

"Yeah, okay," Gabe murmured, golden eyes raking over the other omega's half-starved form. "I'm sorry, Dean; I didn't realize . . . you're one of us, okay? Like, really and truly one of the gang. We don't leave family behind."

Dean nodded slowly, leaning forward just far enough to touch his forehead to Gabe's shoulder. It was a symbol of friendship among omegas, a subgender to whom physical contact meant everything, and the blonde grinned at his new companion. "Might be nice to have another omega around, come to think of it. I can't wait to see what you think of my babiest bro when he shows up in the morning."

Cas rolled his eyes as he led the two omegas into the hall, nodding at Benny and Balthazar as they fell into the back of the group, taking rear guard positions. "Gabe, when you're the middle child, you can't call both of us babies. Alfie is the baby; I'm just younger than you."

"You were the baby for ten years, Cassie; I got used to calling you that."

"Well don't call Alfie 'babiest bro' when he shows up tomorrow. You know he hates that."

"Samandriel is coming here?" Balthazar stepped forward to call the elevator, prepared to enter first and ensure that it was safe for his boss. No matter where they were, that man would never let his guard down around his family.

"Yeah, in the morning. He heard about Dean and he wants to help."

Dean looked over at Cas, finally walking tall enough to meet the alpha's gaze. He was an inch, maybe two, taller than the raven-haired biker, something that Cas had not realized he would like until that moment. "Samandriel is the fifth Novak son," Cas explained. "Mom said he was a surprise, a gift during her last heat, and he's much younger than us. He's younger than you, actually. I think you'll like him."

Dean nodded, filing that information away for later. He remembered his own baby brother, little Sammy, who had only been eight years old when he was sold to Azazel. He wondered if the young alpha had managed to make anything of his life.

* * *

Hazel eyes skimmed through a report from an outer scout, the light from the phone's screen playing across his face as he sighed and shook his head. "A meeting with the leader of the Hells Angels? Why now, Adam?"

The younger of the two alphas shrugged, leaning back against the rotting wood of the picnic table as he watched the rest of their gang mill around the small truck stop. They would make it to Sioux Falls by nightfall, their clan's home and a city only a few hours from the proposed meeting site. "I read Rufus's report, same as you. I don't have any more information."

"I might," a soft, lilting voice interjected, the only omega in their small group sauntering up to two brothers. Gadreel was tall for an omega at over six feet, with broad shoulders and a strong jaw that made many people mistake him for an alpha at first glance. "Sam, I got a message from Rachel, that beta from Castiel's gang I met with last year."

"Your friend, sure. What did she say?"

"Castiel drove the Devil's Blood gang out of Lawrence this morning, taking a young omega from Azazel at the same time. They're going to stay there, guard the border, until they're sure that Azazel will respect the treaty. I'm sure that is what instigated this meeting."

Sam looked back at his phone, sighing as he turned it off and tucked it into his jacket pocket. "We've had peaceful relations with the Hells Angels for a long time. I'm not going to jeopardize that now. Adam, have Rufus send a message back that we accept Castiel's invitation and we will meet with him in five days' time at a location of his choosing. Also, call Bobby and let him know that we'll be home by nightfall."

"Already spoke with him, Boss; he said we should detour to Jody's if we want supper."

Sam chuckled as he grabbed his helmet, brushing his jeans off before striding toward his bike. "He knows that we always want supper. Okay, boys; let's ride!"


	3. Got You by the Balls

Chapter 3: Got You by the Balls

* * *

Dean followed close behind Cas as the biker strode into the real estate office, Balthazar nodding toward the chairs against the window as he headed for the front desk. Hannah had passed all of the information to him and headed out to lunch, letting Balthazar call the office to speak with the agent and finalize the details of their meeting. He had seemed a little too eager to do that, an odd smile on his face while he was on the phone before they left the hotel. Benny pushed Gabriel into a seat and settled down on the other side of him, arms crossed over his chest. "What do you know about this real estate agent Hannah has found?"

"I don't know, but Balth likes the guy."

"Some pompous bastard, that's for sure," Gabe interjected. "I've never met one of our cousin's friends that I liked."

"You just rub them all the wrong way," Balthazar replied as he rejoined the group. "He's ready to see us now."

The group of bikers followed Balthazar into one of the side offices, Cas and Dean taking the two open seats while the rest of the gang hovered around them. Cas was admittedly eager to finally meet the main Balth had been texting for hours, someone he was clearly interested in. The real estate agent, a dark-haired man with guarded brown eyes, frowned at the group, glancing up at Balthazar curiously. "You didn't say you were bringing the whole family, love." There was an underlying hint of sarcasm in the man's voice, his accent clearly British.

Balthazar shrugged, leaning against the side of the agent's long wooden desk, his entire body leaning toward the man in a stance that begged the agent to pay attention to him. "We have a lot of varied needs in our clan, and I thought you'd like to hear them directly from the customers' mouths. You did say you 'aim to please'." Cas refrained from rolling his eyes at the innuendo in his cousin's voice, already mentally trying to decide the odds that Balthazar would be able to entice the other man into his bed. He hadn't known his cousin to hit on alphas before, and he suddenly wondered what Crowley's designation might be.

The agent snorted and leaned forward, pushing the files on his desk to one side as he glanced at his computer screen. Cas caught a whiff of his chamomile and lemon scent and sighed, leaning forward far enough to tap his cousin's side. "Balthazar."

"Look, omegas have a better track record in real estate when it comes to picky clients," the younger alpha snapped, clearly realizing that he was going to have to defend his choice of agents to his demanding boss. "If I thought there was a chance in hell that you would settle with the first nice house that ticked all of your boxes, it wouldn't matter who your agent was, but I know you. It took four months for that guy in Chicago to find you a property you would tolerate, and you still don't really like it. We did it your way last time; let's do it my way this time."

"You specifically told Hannah to look for an omega, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did. Trust me cousin; this is going to work."

Cas threw his hands up in defeat and leaned back in his chair, Dean watching the argument curiously. "Alright, agent, I suppose you're hired."

"And whom will I have the pleasure of serving?"

"I'm Castiel Novak."

"Crowley," the agent replied, dipping his head in an imitation of a bow. "Balthazar tells me that you will be looking at multiple properties in Lawrence as well as some of our nearby cities. We do have access to a large portfolio throughout the entire state so I do not believe we will have issues meeting your demand. I have a form here where you can select your preferences and I can use that information to choose properties to show you." He passed a small tablet to Cas, taking a second one from his drawer and navigating to the correct app. "Now, who will be staying in your house, Mr. Novak? Just you and the terrified little squirrel sitting next to you?"

Cas glanced at Dean, the omega somewhat resembling the rodent in question as his eyes darted around the room and he tugged at the hem of his jacket nervously. The alpha reached over and placed a calming hand on his leg, smiling gently as the younger man slowly relaxed. "Yes, Dean will be staying with me. Also my brothers, Gabriel and Samandriel, and my guard Benny here. Balthazar will need his own place nearby, probably with Charlie and Hannah and their mates, since he can't seem to get along with anyone else in the family."

Balthazar snorted as he accepted the second tablet from Crowley, quickly tapping the boxes and fields that would provide a good home for himself and the four women Cas had assigned to him. He actually did get along marvelously with Charlie and with Hannah's mate Tessa; Hannah was able to tolerate him for long periods and Charlie's mate Gilda was a truly sweet soul who got along with everyone. "Gabriel is the problem, not me. I have tried for decades to make friends with your brother, but he manages to break every truce."

Gabe grinned as he leaned over Cas's shoulder, pointing at a couple of the options he wanted in their house. He and Balthazar might be terrible roommates, but they did love each other dearly and the alpha had been injured more than once while protecting his omega cousin from some of the more unsavory people they had to deal with on occasion. "Hey, Samandriel was the one who threatened to chop your balls off and feed them to the cats, not me," Gabe pointed out.

Balthazar gulped and dropped a hand in front of his crotch, protecting his precious jewels. "I worry when someone who studies medicine makes a threat that specific."

Crowley chuckled darkly, reaching out and patting Balthazar's hip comfortingly. "Come, now, sweetheart; I'll protect you from the big, bad omega," he purred. The alpha's pale blue eyes widened at the suggestive undertone in the man's scent, something akin to arousal peppering his.

Benny growled and leaned forward to thump the other alpha's shoulder, breaking the gaze he had locked on Crowley. "Get a room; don't stink up this one."

Cas chuckled and finished filling out the form, leaning forward to pass the small tablet back to a now-blushing Crowley. "I believe that a house that falls within these parameters will meet our needs nicely." He glanced at the newest member of their clan, the boy sitting quietly in his seat but almost vibrating with excitement, green eyes swimming with gold flecks. It seemed that he had been paying attention to the conversation and understood that they were picking out a house that he got to live in, and maybe he understood that he could ask to have a say. "Dean, is there any special feature you want in this new house? Anything you want."

Dean nodded and glanced at the tablet, too nervous to reach for it but clearly eager to voice his opinion. Cas held it out to him, watching as the omega carefully touched the screen and moved the page down, smiling as he pointed at one of the options. "Acreage? You want a yard?" Dean nodded, holding his hands as far apart as possible to indicate that he wanted it big. He also scrolled back to the picture at the top, one of the houses that the firm had for sale, and pointed at the colorful flowers bordering the front porch. "And flower beds. Crowley, you got that?"

"Every gesture," the omega replied obediently, tapping a few commands on both tablets to send the information to his database. "How many other properties should I look for?"

Balthazar looked at his boss and shrugged. "It'll take time for the others to get everything shut down in Chicago, but we should put Ishim, Akobel, Ketch, and their mates in Topeka and maybe Malachi and his mate Rebecca in Kansas City."

"We'll need a second pair for Kansas City," Benny pointed out. Castiel never wanted any of his gang to live alone, to feel like they weren't loved and protected by their family.

"Ezekiel will do nicely there."

Gabriel snorted at that, chuckling darkly at his cousin's innocent expression. "Don't want your little sister too close, eh Balthy? Anna'd tear you a new one if she heard that you were trying to put that much distance between you."

"I'd prefer she stay in Chicago, to be fair, but she _is_ pregnant and I am, technically, that pup's uncle. It's only right that we be within a short drive of her. But not walking distance."

Castiel raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, Kansas City. Better send Ezekiel's siblings there, too. Ask for at least three more volunteers for Topeka and everyone else can stay here. They'll be fine with condos or townhomes close to the town center; I'd prefer to be more on the outskirts where it's peaceful and quiet." Cas didn't glance at the omega sitting beside him, but his gang knew that Dean was a primary factor in his desire for peace and privacy. He wanted the boy to have a better life than Azazel had offered.

Crowley nodded. "Fine, we'll start with the two houses here, then I'll look into the arrangements for the rest of your clan. In the app you indicated that you need at least five bedrooms, but you haven't said anything about the number of floors. Is there anyone in your family who prefers not to have stairs, or do you have a layout preference?"

Cas shrugged. "I'm sure that five bedrooms would be difficult to manage without two or three stories. My current house is a ranch-style, and there is somewhat of a noise issue. I think the bedrooms would be better if they were not next to the living room and kitchen."

"Okay, no first-floor Master, then," Crowley murmured, typing away on his computer. "Do you cook, Mr. Novak? Or does anyone in your house cook?"

"I do," Gabe piped up. "Mostly baking, but I enjoy making family meals from time-to-time."

"Yes, that's helpful." Crowley stared at Castiel for a long moment, his eyes calculating as he hummed under his breath. "Alright, I believe I have enough information. I will have something for you to look at tomorrow."

Cas started at the sudden dismissal. "What, no pictures to look at? The last agent had a dozen properties for us to view the same day we met with him."

"None of which you bought," Crowley pointed out, having already surmised that this alpha was going to be a very interesting client. "You didn't like any of the houses that he took you to in the first few months and you started to think that he didn't understand you at all. That's why you settled, took a house that was pretty much alright, but you don't have any urge to return there. Tell me, Mr. Novak, do you want to go through that process again?"

Castiel shook his head slowly, honey and ginger scent colored with a faint hint of shock. "I just thought that's the way it was done."

"It doesn't have to be," Crowley purred. "I'm better than your former agent, and you can trust that I want you to be perfectly happy with the house I find for you. After all, my reputation is at stake here." He pointed at the framed awards on the wall and the two glass ones on the shelf behind him, all of which proclaimed that he was the most successful real estate agent at the company. "Give me a day."

"Alright, we will." Castiel pushed himself to his feet, helping Dean up as his clan members gathered around him. "I will await your call."

Cas led his gang back to the street, heading for the three bikes parked peacefully in the shade of a flowering crepe myrtle, its branches heavy with the clusters of blood red blooms. Dean walked over to the tree and ran his hands down the smooth bark, leaning close enough to examine the pale wood before raising his arms and pulling a cluster of flowers close to his face. Before he could get a sniff of the flowers' aroma, a flurry of loose petals rained down on him, along with a generous shower of golden pollen. He giggled, actually made a soft, happy sound, and shook the branch, emerald eyes flashing omega gold in joy. Had the boy ever had occasion to climb a tree or play in the flowers?

Cas glanced to his side as Balthazar pulled out his phone and shot Crowley a quick text: _Dean likes flowering trees._

_**Crowley:**__ Hmm, yes, I can see that, pet._ Balthazar glanced back up at the building and realized that Crowley's office faced the small side parking lot, the omega's dark eyes watching Dean cover himself in flower petals. "He looks happy," Balthazar observed.

"He's beautiful," Cas murmured back, catching Dean's scent as it brightened with his joy.

A moment later, the rumbling growl of the omega's stomach froze his actions, Dean's eyes losing that bright omega gold as his arms lowered to wrap around his belly. Gabriel approached his fellow omega, smiling kindly as he ran his fingers through the boy's dark blond hair. Even though Dean was nearly a head taller than Gabriel, he seemed smaller in that moment. "You sound a little hungry, kiddo. I guess we kinda forgot to stop for lunch."

Dean shook his head, clearly trying to deny his obvious hunger. His stomach growled again, giving him away.

Cas stepped up beside Dean and reached out to zip up his jacket, keeping his movements slow and gentle. "Gabriel is getting hungry, Dean; what do you think we should feed him? I was thinking he might enjoy some pizza if we can find a place." Dean nodded slowly, waiting patiently as Cas brushed the flower petals out of his hair and tried to clean off the smudges of pollen on his cheeks.

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea, baby bro. Let's grab some pizza!"

Balthazar rolled his eyes as he jammed his helmet onto his head, revving up his bike as Gabriel hopped on the back. "I saw a place a few miles back, Boss," the alpha offered.

Cas nodded and led Dean back to his bike, Benny starting his own up as he backed out of the parking spot. Moments later, three bikes thundered out of the lot, the crepe myrtle still raining flower petals behind them.

* * *

"He's decided to move his entire base of operations to Kansas."

A sharp snort sounded through the phone's tiny speaker. _"Geez, why?"_

Michael shrugged, pulling up the online version of the major biker gangs' territories. "No idea, Luci. I mean, the town he picked is basically on the border between us, Devil's Blood, and the Demon Hunters. Maybe he's trying to guard the border."

"_Wouldn't be a bad idea, actually,"_ Lucifer mused. Michael could imagine his brother's pale, narrowed eyed and furrowed brow. _"Damned Bloods have been pecking at our border for years, and we haven't been able to do anything about them. If Cassie's plan keeps them at bay, I'm inclined to support it."_

"So am I." Michael glanced at the digital map, tracing the southern part of their western border thoughtfully. "Luci, I want you to deploy extra people to Texas. Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio may not be as protected as we would like if Azazel decides to retaliate."

"_Should I pull people from Houston?"_

"No, the shipping business there is a cornerstone of the Novak empire. We can't afford to lose anything there. Keep your people in NOLA, too; pull anyone you need from Atlanta, maybe, or anywhere in South Carolina. Revenue has been low from those states recently and we'll have to worry about industries there later. I'll send you some people if you need."

"_No, I should be fine. Recruitment has been strong in Florida and Alabama this year, so I'll have the people. What about Cassie's meeting with the Demon Hunters leader?"_

"He's a big boy now, Luci. He can handle it on his own. After all, he handled the Azazel meeting remarkably well and came out of the situation with a new omega."

"_Hmm, yeah, I heard about that. Gabe said he's a pretty thing, a bit underfed maybe but as tall as us. I haven't seen many six-foot omegas."_

"Maybe he'll settle down at last. Mother's been harassing me again about him and Gabe."

"_They'll settle when they're ready. Not everyone is lucky enough to find their mate as young as we did." _Michael heard a squeaking female voice on the other end of the line, followed by Luci murmuring something soothing to his youngest daughter. _"Gotta go, big bro; my sweet angel says that Ingrid's got supper ready and you know how much trouble I'd get in if I showed up late. My mate is not a forgiving woman."_

"Yeah, no problem, Luci. Talk to you later."

* * *

Gabe leaned over and nudged his brother, nodding at Dean sitting on the alpha's other side. Benny and Balthazar had returned to their room after their supper, leaving all of the leftover pizza in their boss's suite so that the new omega would have plenty to eat. He had put away an entire pizza by himself, even managing handful of breadsticks afterwards. Cas hadn't been entirely sure where the skinny boy put all that food, but Dean had seemed truly happy to be allowed to eat until he was done eating. Now, leaning against the arm of the couch where he had settled in to watch tv almost four hours earlier, Dean had fallen asleep.

"He's had a long day," Cas murmured, returning his attention to his computer screen. "As soon as his clothes arrive, I'll take him to bed."

Gabe jumped at a sharp knock on the door, Cas surging to his feet in an instinctive reaction to a noise that might prove to be dangerous to the omegas under his care. "A delivery for a Castiel Novak," a voice called from the other side of the door. Cas glanced through the peephole and saw a male he recognized, the delivery boy from the clothing store with his red vest and logo hat. Satisfied, the alpha unlocked the door and opened it just far enough to take the large bag, seeing that it was still sealed from the store.

"Everything is here?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Novak, sir," the delivery boy stammered, a young beta clearly intimidated by the alpha's presence. He held out a receipt, the one that Cas had signed in the store, and the alpha folded it in half before tucking it in his pocket. Grabbing a few bills from his wallet, he tipped the boy and sent him on his way, locking the door behind him.

The commotion had woken Dean up, the omega rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he noticed the large bag at Cas's feet. "Your clothes are here, Dean," Cas explained, grabbing the bag and heading for the bedroom he shared with the omega. "Come, let's see if we can get you changed into something more comfortable than my jeans and shirt."

Dean nodded and followed obediently, closing the door as he watched Cas pull out each item of clothing and compare it to the receipt, stacking everything neatly on the edge of the bed until he was done. "Okay, it looks like everything's here." Cas pulled the small bag of underwear out of the stack and placed it on top of the pajamas Dean had picked out; they were a soft, pale green material with cherry blossoms printed all over them, one of the omega's favorite things from the shopping trip. He had never been allowed any separate clothes to sleep in when he lived with Azazel, so these would be a luxury for him. "Why don't you get changed for bed while I get this stuff put away. Are you hungry at all?"

Dean shook his head as he took the clothes, walking out of the room and toward the bathroom so he could change. He frowned at the sound of the shower running; clearly Gabriel liked to wash himself before bed instead of in the morning, and he would probably be there for a while. Dean returned to the bedroom and took a seat in the office chair next to the desk, staring at the folded clothes in his hands.

Cas finished putting Dean's clothes in the drawers, frowning when he spotted the omega sitting at the desk. "Dean, what's wrong?" Dean raised his hand over his head and mimed water falling down onto him, pointing at the bathroom barely visible through the half-opened bedroom door. "Oh, Gabe is taking a shower. Well, you can change here if you want. Unless it's going to make you uncomfortable or something."

Dean shrugged and stood, slipping out of his overshirt and folding it neatly before taking his t-shirt off. He heard the rustle of clothes behind him, and he turned curiously as soon as he had folded the shirt, catching his breath in a silent gasp at the sight that met his eyes.

Castiel had stripped out of his three layers of shirts, tossing them carelessly on the bed as he stretched out muscles that were tight from riding all morning and hopping between the hotel and stores all day. He froze as he felt the omega's stare on him, glancing over his shoulder and smiling gently as he realized what had caught the boy's attention. Two beautifully detailed midnight blue and black wings spread across his upper back, the long primary feathers tattooed down his arms, the shading so perfect that they almost seemed real. A multitude of other, more colorful tattoos covered his lower back and sides, but the dark wings were his crowning glory.

"It's the mark of our clan," Cas explained, staying perfectly still as Dean inched closer. "You can touch them if you want, Dean. These are my angel wings. Everyone in the clan has some sort of wing tattoo, even Benny as recently adopted as he is."

Dean's trembling fingers danced across the delicately inked lines, tracing the flared alulae over Cas's shoulders gently before stroking the secondary feathers over his shoulder blades. Cas half-turned and ran his fingers through Dean's hair, showing him that he didn't mind the curiosity. "What do you think of the color?" Dean nodded enthusiastically, biting his lip as he glanced out into the living area of the suite and the omega in the bathroom. "Gabe's are gold, kinda a darker shade at the base and super bright on the tips. I don't know how the artist managed that color, but it looks amazing. I'm sure he'll let you see them sometime. I have three other brothers besides him, and they also have this type of tattoo. Michael's wings are silver and white, though the base of each feather is just a few shades above black, and Lucifer has crimson red feathers that darken into a color maybe a few shades brighter than dried blood. They're both a bit weird, to be fair, but the colors work for them. Samandriel had his modeled after a peregrine falcon, so they're a kind of blue-gray color with detailed markings."

Dean nodded and stepped away, watching as Cas stripped out of his pants and pulled on his own pajama bottoms. He normally slept nude, but he didn't want the omega to feel uncomfortable sleeping in the same bed. Dean tilted his head and drew a sharp V on his chest, mimicking the shape of the shirt that Balthazar had been wearing that day. "Balth has rainbow wings," Cas snorted, running his fingers through his raven hair. "Like actual rainbows. He goes out of his way to shock people, and I think the tattoo artist just about died when he asked for those colors. I think, if he could have managed it, they would sparkle. He will gladly show you if you ask."

Dean turned half away from Cas, pointing over his shoulder at his scarred but tattoo-free back. Cas chuckled and patted the omega's shoulder, smiling at the soft, half-voiced purr he got in response. "If you choose to join our clan, you can have wings, too. Do you know what color you might want?" Dean nodded and pointed at his pajama shirt, at the green background color. "That would be lovely, Dean. Now, go ahead and finish changing."

Dean nodded and grabbed the small bag Cas had given him earlier, the pink thing branded with the symbol of a very expensive male omega underwear store that Gabe had ducked into for a few minutes while Dean had been in the collar store. The omega pulled out the first thing his fingers brushed against, jade eyes widening in shock at the beautiful, pink satin panties he found. They were edged in black lace with tiny black bows on the front and back, ribbons laced across the pouch in the front meant to hold his penis comfortably. Dean raised them to his cheek and rubbed them, amazed at the silky feeling against his skin.

Cas grinned as he took the bag away, tucking it in Dean's drawer so he could explore the other underwear later. "Gabe thought you might like those. He's perfectly happy to wear boxers that he definitely finds in the alpha aisle, but he wanted you to have something nice."

Dean quickly stepped out of his jeans and kicked them aside, too excited to bother folding them neatly just yet. He stripped out of his borrowed boxers, freezing at the sharp growl from his alpha, followed by the scent of shock covering the honey and ginger he had already come to like so much. "What is that?" Dean glanced down at his groin, shaking his head at Cas's question; he had no idea what had upset the alpha.

Cas stepped closer and pointed at the solid silver cage enclosing Dean's dick, a small brass lock holding it to the ring around his balls. "He has you in a cage? Did you choose this? Did you agree to this? Dean, how long has Azazel kept you in chastity?" The omega shrugged, a gesture that Cas was coming to understand meant the omega had always lived like that and he didn't know what other way it was supposed to be. "Was it since your first heat? Have you worn that cage since you presented as an omega?" Dean nodded. Azazel had told him that he would have no use for his penis; as an omega he only existed to give his alpha pleasure. After the agony of his first heat, when Azazel had mercilessly watched him writhe in his chains, refusing to touch him or give him any toys to ease the burn, Dean had accepted the cock cage without protest. At least his master had never left him to suffer alone like that again. He had believed Azazel when he said that all male omegas wore them to make their heats easier and keep them from being tempted to wander away from their masters.

Cas took a deep, calming breath, gesturing for Dean to sit on the edge of the bed as he turned toward the door. "Gabe! You'd better be out of your shower; I need you in here."

"Yeah, yeah; I'm done," the blonde grumbled, walking into the room with a small towel in his hands. His skin was still slightly pink from his shower, and he had already changed into his own animal-print pajamas. His dark golden eyes took in the scene before him, his half-naked brother and the fully-naked omega, widening slightly at the glint of metal between Dean's legs. "Ah."

"Dean's worn it since his first heat, apparently," Cas growled, struggling to control his emotions and not frighten the omega in question. "Azazel didn't say anything about this; he didn't even give me the key. I don't know how he brainwashed Dean into thinking that he wanted to be in chastity all the time, but I want to find a way to take it off."

Gabe sighed and moved close enough to examine the device, frowning at the small metal lock. "Honestly, he's lucky Azazel didn't castrate him. Some alphas who are . . . intimidated by their omegas will do that. The cage almost seems humane."

Dean whined in the back of his throat, remembering the handful of times he had angered Azazel enough that he threatened castration. Cas sat down on the bed beside him, wrapping an arm around Dean's back and pulling the omega against his side. "I'm not going to do that to you, Dean. Gabe's pretty good with a lock pick; he'll have that off in no time and you can be in control of your own pleasure from now on. Ok?" Dean nodded, letting his head rest on Cas's shoulder as Gabe headed into the other room to find his lock picking supplies. How many other things had Azazel done to him that were out of the ordinary? Cas had seemed upset when he said he had spent his free time locked in a dog crate; was that so unusual? Was it strange that Azazel kept him chained up when the alpha wasn't around, or that he hadn't been allowed to eat even one full meal a day since his last pregnancy? Azazel said that if he was too hungry, his body wouldn't be able to make another pup and he wouldn't have to pay for another abortion. He found himself thinking back through his decade in Azazel's care, wondering which things were normal for an alpha's second omega and which ones were cruel and unusual. Had Azazel even cared about him at all?

Gabe returned to the room, kneeling on the floor in front of Dean so he could inspect the lock. "This won't be too tricky, kiddo, but I am going to touch you in some pretty uncomfortable places. Just bear with me, okay?"

Dean nodded, sniffing back the tears that filled his forest green eyes as Cas ran a soothing hand down his side. He pointed at the cage, at what he now realized was just another sign of the absolute power his previous master had held over him, and uttered one soft, broken word, the first thing he had managed to say in ten years. "Why?"

If Cas was surprised to hear the omega speak at last, or amazed at the deep timbre of his voice, he managed to keep that out of his scent. "Because Azazel is an evil, despicable man. He's a demon, and he doesn't deserve someone as sweet and beautiful as you. He tried to break you Dean, he did everything in his power to make you as dark and malicious as him, but he failed. You've been through a lot, but you're still such a pure, righteous soul, and I know that you will heal from this. I'll make sure of it."

Gabe grinned as his metal pin managed to spring the lock open, carefully slipping it free of the cage and moving away from the bed. Dean reached down with shaking hands and slipped the metal tube free, opening the ring and dropping all of the pieces on the floor. "Th-thank you."

"Any time, Dean-o. Let me, uh, leave you two alone, okay? We've all had a long day and I could use some sleep." With that, he was gone, closing the door behind him. Dean knew that the other omega had never been forced into chastity, that maybe none of the omegas in Cas's gang had, and that cheered him up somewhat.

Dean wiped the tears from his eyes and smiled up at Cas, slipping off the bed as he grabbed his new panties again. He bet they would be a lot of fun to wear now that he didn't have that cold, restrictive metal binding him anymore. Dean pulled the satin on, smiling at the feeling of it on his ass, adjusting it in the front until it felt comforting and sexy. He looked up at his alpha and grinned, preening slightly.

"They look lovely on you, Dean. Do you want to sleep in just those or do you want to wear your pajamas?" Dean nodded and pulled the pajama top over his head, sliding his legs into the pants before tying the string in front. "Alright, let's go to bed, then. And, since I don't want to hear that Azazel made you sleep on the hard floor in hotels when he had a nice, big bed to himself, I need you to know that this is _our_ bed, and I expect you to sleep in it."

Dean nodded in understanding; he had actually already looked at the floor under the desk and wondered if he could convince Cas to lend him one of the half-dozen pillows on the bed. Azazel had given him one when he was in a good mood, sometimes even a blanket. Sleeping in the bed itself was going to be much better, though.

Dean climbed in beside Cas, careful to stay on his side of the mattress even as he burrowed down into the blankets and piled pillows around his alpha-sized form. Cas just chuckled before turning off the lights, reaching out to pet the omega's hair affectionately. "Goodnight, Dean."

"Nigh'," the omega managed, cursing the scratchy sound of his voice. He premised himself that he would keep practicing so he could talk to Cas and truly thank this alpha for saving him from Azazel's dirty clutches. Cas believed he was _righteous_, and he would find a way to live up to that. Somehow.


	4. Down Payment Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluffy stuff with a minor mention of past abortions

Chapter 4: Down Payment Blues

* * *

Cas felt sleep fade away as sunlight brightened his room. He was used to traveling, to sleeping in hotels or motels along the road, but he had always been alone. The heavy warmth at his side, the arm slung across his chest holding him down, and the gentle almost-snore of another person were foreign to him.

He turned his head to find Dean tucked up against his side, even though they had been facing away from each other when they went to sleep. The boy had been exhausted from his emotional turmoil of a day, but in sleep he looked peaceful, almost angelic. Cas reached up and ran his fingers through the omega's dark blonde hair, amazed again at his beauty. Those green eyes, darker than usual as he pulled himself to consciousness, flew open, contentment filling them after a brief flash of fear. How often had he been allowed to sleep in a comfortable bed, clean and warm without worrying about what awaited him in the morning?

"Good morning, Dean."

Dean mouthed the word _morning_, clearly trying to teach himself to speak again. It would probably be some time before he could manage more than half-formed words and soft whines, but he was determined to do it so he could truly thank Cas for saving him from the hell his life had been for the last decade. He leaned closer, breathing in his alpha's honey and ginger scent, storing it in some attempt to keep himself protected during the day. Spending the night in Cas's bed had impregnated his skin with the biker's aroma, marking him at least for the day and guarding him from any other alpha who might dare approach. Azazel, though he had been a jealous and controlling bastard, had never bothered to protect him like that.

"You seem to like my scent," Cas observed, stretching under the comforter as he convinced himself that he had to start his day. Dean nodded and pointed at his neck, at the scent glands hidden under the skin there, a question in his jade eyes. "Yes, Dean; I like your scent, too. You may not have ever been able to detect it before, living with someone who smells as awful as Azazel does, but it is lovely. Apples, cinnamon, and vanilla . . . you smell like apple pie with ice cream." Dean grinned at that and ducked his head, daring to nuzzle against Cas's chest, just for a moment. His former alpha had beaten him harshly whenever he dared to beg for affection, for even a simple touch, but Cas smiled gently instead. "Do you like pie, Dean? None of the places we visited yesterday served any, but I bet Gabe can find us somewhere for lunch today that will. Would you like that?"

Dean nodded enthusiastically, turning to rise from the bed. He had always been up before his former masters, fixing breakfast or getting the pups ready for school. That had been in the past, before Meg's first heat and when Tom was still a child. Now Meg was sixteen, mated off to Alastair, and Tom was thirteen and nearing his first rut. Lilith was even pregnant again, with her third and probably last pup, and Dean had been caring for her when he was home now that she was too big to care for herself. How would that end, now? She had been vicious and cruel, but she was not as bad as her mate, and Dean wondered how she would care for her family without him. How would she raise a baby with Azazel on the road so often?

Cas must have sensed how dark his thoughts had grown, because he reached up and ran gentle fingers across the omega's cheek. "I don't know what you're thinking, Dean, but it is normal to miss your previous life, no matter how cruel and abusive your former alpha and his family were to you. Some part of you is still loyal to them, still worries about them. It's something called Stockholm Syndrome; I don't know if you've heard of it."

Dean shook his head; his schooling had ended when he was eight, as soon as John realized that he was going to present as an omega. What use did an omega have for an education, anyway? But this syndrome sounded interesting, something he would like to learn about.

A sharp knock on the door startled both of them out of their thoughts. Cas groaned and slipped out of the bed, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on before answering. Gabe poked his head into the door, catching a whiff of his brother's scent overlaid with Dean's softer notes, shrugging as he passed a small box to the alpha. "Delivery. I'm heading down to breakfast in ten; put on some clothes and join me."

"Alright, we'll be ready." Cas closed the door and carried the box over to the bed, smiling at the logo on top of it. He handed it to Dean, the omega grinning as he realized what it had to be. He lifted the lid and sighed in wonder, running his fingers over the green leather of his new collar. He could see the embroidered words inside, the gold thread creating valleys in the plush green lining, and he already loved it.

Pulling the collar out of the box, Dean held it out to Cas, frowning when the alpha shook his head. "It's _your_ collar, Dean. Only you can put it on and take it off. I won't force anything on you that you don't want. Do you want to wear it?"

Dean nodded, biting his lip as he stared at the lovely thing. The diamonds in the center of each embroidered flower sparkled in the early morning light, and he could even see tiny emerald chips buried along the length of the leather. Lifting his chin, Dean fitted the collar around his neck, happy that it was so much softer and more comfortable than the one Azazel had made him wear, finding the buckle in the back and fastening it. He jumped out of bed and hopped two steps to the mirror over the desk, smiling at the way the collar brought out the green in his eyes.

"It looks lovely on you, Dean," Cas purred. "Now, put some of your new clothes on and we can go down for breakfast. I like to choose hotels who include that for free; otherwise it would cost me a fortune to feed Gabe every morning."

Dean chuckled at that, the sound broken but louder than he had expected. He was really getting quite good at this verbal communication thing. Maybe one day he would be able to manage whole sentences. If nothing else, Cas truly had given him his voice back, offering him for the first time in his life to have a say in his own destiny. The collar proved that, if nothing else.

* * *

"Mornin' Boss."

"Hey, Benny. Where's my cousin?"

The Cajun cleared his throat as he piled more bacon on his plate. "He headed out to Chicago to help Anna and Ezekiel pack. He's going to close up your house, as well, and bring your truck down with everything Alfie packed for you last night. You don't have much, and you said you want to leave the furniture so we can rent it out like that, so I think it'll all fit without a problem. He'll be bringing your youngest brother back with him."

"Good." Cas handed Dean a plate, having already discovered that the omega was too timid to dig into a free buffet, and pushed him toward the bar where a beta cook was creating omelets from scratch. Hopefully she would understand when Dean pointed at the toppings he wanted. "Any plans for the Demon Hunters meeting?"

"Yeah, Balth recommended a place before bouncing. Some bar north of downtown. Ketch and I will scout it today and finalize the meeting details with Sam's people." Benny grabbed his silverware and found a table, blue eyes watching as Gabriel joined Dean at the omelet bar, both to get his own and to make sure the boy had been understood. "You going to bring him?"

"To a clan meeting? No. He's been through enough trauma, and I think that yesterday may have been one of the few times Azazel ever made him attend one. I'd prefer that he not be exposed to any potentially violent situations until he's a little more stable. I'll take you, Ishim, Balth, Ketch, and Akobel; Gabe won't let me not bring him, but we can leave Dean with Charlie, Zeke, Gilda, and Anna. They can go to a park or something."

Benny nodded as he pulled out his phone, typing a quick message as he shoveled food into his mouth with his free hand. "I'll let Sam know," he managed between bites, looking up as Ketch joined the omegas at the omelet bar and escorted them through the hot buffet in the center of the room. Both of them had two plates, and the alpha was helping them get both as full as possible, carrying full glasses of orange juice back for both of them. Regardless of his tough exterior and the reputation he had among the various large and small biker gangs across the country, Arthur never failed to be gentle, kind, and protective of the omegas in his clan.

Dean slid into the seat between Cas and Benny, only hesitating for a moment before deciding that he could trust the bearded alpha. Gabe took a spot on Cas's other side, Ketch returning to the line to fill his own plates while the omegas started to eat. "Dean, I don't know how you plan to put away that much food," Cas teased. Dean paused with his fork halfway to his mouth, a half-scared look on his face as he glanced up at the alpha. "It's not a criticism, Dean. Eat what you want. Just . . . go slowly, okay? You'll make yourself sick." The omega nodded, returning to his meal, albeit at a more sedate pace.

"What's the plan for today, Boss?"

Cas glanced up at Gabe, nodding toward Dean. "Get Charlie up here; I want her to evaluate Dean's level of education. He was taken from his father, presumably taken out of school, and I don't want him to live the rest of his life hampered by that. I want him to get his GED, so we're going to task Charlie with that. She'll be good at it."

"No problem," Gabe replied, offering a fake salute. "Can you read, Dean, and write?" The younger omega nodded sharply; Azazel and Lilith hadn't allowed him much freedom, but he had been give free access to what books they had in their house. "Ok, good. Do you remember much of the math you learned in school? History? Any science?" Dean made a so-so signal with his free hand at each question. "Yeah, okay; I think Charlie can get you set up."

"Benny, buy me a car today. Something reliable. I'm going to teach Dean to drive so he can get his license. I'd hate for him to be reliant on me for transportation forever."

Dean swallowed hard and looked up at his alpha, tears in his forest green eyes. He worked his mouth a few times, clearly trying to work out the shapes before he spoke. "Dr-ive?"

"Do you want to drive, Dean? I know you've been riding on someone else's bike for years, but I'm sure no one ever asked you if you like motorcycles. I thought it would be easier to get you a license in a car before we start worrying about a bike."

The omega nodded enthusiastically, finishing his breakfast quickly as if he thought his lessons could start immediately. Benny reached over and patted the boy on his back, silently promising to find a usable vehicle as soon as possible. Cas watched the brief interaction, smiling at the hint of a friendship blossoming between his bodyguard and newest clan member. He was glad that Dean was making friends.

* * *

Ishim and Inias settled down in one of the large benches along the edge of the park, the slim beta leaning against his mate's shoulder as they watched their charges. Cas sat at a nearby table with Charlie, going over a GED lesson plan on her tablet as they tried to figure out the best way to get their new omega charge up to speed while Gabriel stretched out in the clover-heavy grass at his feet and dozed. "So, seventh grade?"

"At most. He may have been pulled out of school even earlier than that, Char."

"It shouldn't be too hard regardless, as long as he wants to learn. Once he has a GED, he can get a job or go to college, whatever he wants. As an unmated omega from a forced bonding, there are grants, programs, and scholarships that will help him become independent. If that's what he wants, of course."

Cas glanced up at the park, azure eyes tracking the skinny young man sitting with the pups near the sandbox. Dean was great with them, so gentle and patient, and the pups doted on him, even though he didn't speak. One of them, a blonde girl, offered her plastic dinosaur toy to Dean, grinning when he took it and made it stomp through her sand city. "He was sixteen," Cas murmured, fingers tracing abstract patterns on the old wood of the picnic table.

"Hmm?"

"I checked his medical records," Cas explained. "I'm actually surprised that Azazel included them with the packet. Dean's first pregnancy was at sixteen, after his second heat. Chemical abortion. Honestly, he may have taken the pills without realizing what the doctor was handing him. The second was at nineteen, and the procedure almost killed him. The doctor thought he might never go into heat again. He recovered, though, and Azazel impregnated him again seven months ago. That one is listed as a trauma-induced miscarriage that they sped along with an abortion 'for the omega's health'. I think Azazel beat Dean when he realized he was pregnant."

Charlie bit her lip and ran her fingers across the tablet screen, closing the scheduling app they had been using. Part of her, a pretty strong part, wanted to tear Azazel to pieces for what he had done to the boy, but she knew that she had to control her instinctive alpha reactions. She knew that her boss was doing the same thing, keeping his scent calm for Dean's benefit. Cas had never been a hothead like many alphas, especially clan leaders, but every time he learned about another abuse that Dean had suffered, it tested that patience. "Does he want pups?"

"Yeah, he does. I can watch him play with those kids and see that, even if he hadn't reacted so strongly when Azazel mentioned the abortions that had been forced on him. When his next heat hits, I want him to have a choice of alphas to help him through it, and a chance to keep his pup if he ends up pregnant. But he'll need some independence if he plans to do that without living under the thumb of some alpha for the rest of his life."

"Are you planning on sending him away?"

"No! No, of course not. I just want him to have a choice. I will protect Dean for as long as he needs me, but I don't want him to _have_ to stay with me."

Charlie nodded, tapping something on her tablet. "I'll get him taken care of."

The pair looked up as a male alpha and female beta settled down across from them, clearly not posing any threat because Ishim and Inias had not reacted. The alpha reached out his hand to Cas first, recognizing him as the more dominant of the two. "Hi, I'm Tom, and this is my mate, Ally. We just wanted to let you know that our pups adore your omega. I know he's only been there an hour, but this is the most our son has interacted with anyone in years."

Cas smiled politely at the pair, glancing over to see Dean plying cars with one of the little boys. "He's very sweet, and I think he has wanted pups of his own for a while."

Ally tilted her head at Cas, taking a tentative sniff of the air. Betas didn't have the enhanced olfactory senses their alpha and omega peers developed at puberty, but they could still detect familial relationships in most cases. "He isn't your mate."

"Uh, no, he isn't. I've only known Dean since yesterday." The biker wasn't sure why he was explaining his relationship with the omega to two strangers, but he was going to need to learn how to talk about Dean eventually. "He was the second omega to a cruel alpha, and my only goal was to free him from that situation. He thinks he owes me, but . . ." Cas trailed off, not entirely sure what to say. He knew that Dean would bend over for him in a heartbeat if he asked, but he knew that the instinct wasn't healthy. Dean hadn't made a choice for himself in a decade, and one day of freedom wasn't long enough to shake off the shackles of his physical and mental imprisonment. "He doesn't know himself well enough yet. I want to give him space and time to figure out what he wants."

"What if he wants you, baby bro?"

Cas smiled at Gabriel, who had cracked an eye when their guests arrived, climbing up onto the bench to join the conversation. "I don't know, Gabriel. I like his scent, a lot, which is one of the prerequisites to a good mating, but I don't know if he likes mine. He has suffered so much at Azazel's hands, yet he's still sweet and gentle. He deserves to be happy, whatever that means to him, and I want to be here to watch him become the mate and father he has clearly wanted to be for some time."

"Also he's hella sexy and has amazing eyes," Charlie teased, nudging her boss with her elbow. She wasn't attracted to male omegas, but she could still appreciate beauty when she saw it.

Cas fought the blush that threatened to darken his cheeks, clearing his throat as Tom and Ally joined Gabe in chuckling. "Hush, Char; you don't even like men."

"No, Boss, but this is the first time I've ever seen _you_ attracted to anyone, so he must be pretty special. And I've known you a long, long time."

Cas frowned as his phone started to ring, vibrating in his pocket with the strains of the song he had assigned to his rainbow-winged cousin. He tapped the answer button and raised the device to his ear, glancing at Dean still playing with a dozen pups in the sandbox. Some of their parents had withdrawn, probably accepting his offer of a few minutes of peace from their rambunctious offspring. "Balth."

"_Heya, Boss. Just got a ring from Crowley; he has a house for you to see this afternoon."_

"Hmm, just one? I thought he would line up a dozen or so for us."

"_Just one, Cassie. He says you'll love it."_

Cas shook his head, still not sure if he liked this real estate agent. "Was he upset when you told him you were out of town?"

Balthazar chuckled, the sound of a diner in the background. He must have stopped for food on the way to Chicago, maybe two hours away from the gang's homes. _"He was a bit miffed, yeah. I told him I'd take him for tea when I return."_

"Oooh, Balthy has a boyfriend."

Cas could almost hear his cousin's blush. _"Cassie, please. I only just met the man. Don't be arranging my mating ceremony so soon."_

"Alright, I won't. Where are we meeting your surly omega?"

"_I'll text you the address. He'll meet you at four."_

"No problem." The line died and Cas put his phone down, waiting for Balthazar's text with the address. He would have Ketch and Benny meet him at the house that afternoon when they were done finalizing the plans for his meeting with the Demon Hunters. That would give Dean a little more time to play with the pups while he and Charlie worked on a schooling schedule.

"Ready to get back to it, Boss?"

Cas nodded and leaned over the redhead's screen once more.

* * *

Benny had found a suitable car at a local dealership, something only a couple of years old with low mileage and a pretty decent warranty. He took the driver's seat with Gabriel by his side, Cas and Dean comfortable in the back. Inias, Ishim, and Ketch followed behind them on their bikes, still determined to guard their boss even in the peaceful little neighborhood north of town that they had scouted earlier. It was actually a bit outside the city limits, which Cas preferred, and he was glad to see how lovely an area Crowley had chosen.

Benny pulled up to a house that wouldn't exactly be called a mansion, but it wasn't small by any means. Deep, crimson red crepe myrtles lined the driveway, their branches heavy with their papery blossoms. Cas heard Dean purr happily, the sound coming out a bit better than it had the day before. Benny parked the car outside one of the three garages, beside a shining black BMW with a surly British omega standing next to it.

"Quite the entourage you travel with, Mr. Novak."

Cas shrugged, helping Dean out of the car before approaching the agent. Ishim and Inias would stay outside while Ketch walked the perimeter and Benny accompanied his boss and the two omegas on a tour of the property. "I have a big family."

Crowley shrugged, heading for the door and using his phone to unlock the key box hanging on the handle. "I don't. It was just me and my mother for my entire life." He opened the door and gestured for the group to follow him inside, flicking on a light as he entered.

"Tell me about this place."

"It's on five acres, the backyard is completely fenced in, the previous owners had a few flower beds but there is plenty of room for more, and you already saw the trees out front. There are more in the back, which we'll get to later. The house itself is five bedrooms; four are on the second floor and the fifth is a finished attic with an attached open bonus room type area. Two of the bedrooms have their own bathroom, two of them do not, there is an additional full bath on the second floor, and a half on the bottom floor and in the attic bonus room."

Castiel walked slowly through the huge living room, glancing at the large windows and the rich cherry hardwood floors. The living room opened into a large dining room with French sliding doors on one side and an even larger kitchen on the other. Gabe whined softly, desperately, as he all but ran into the kitchen, running his hands over beautifully patterned marble both on all of the countertops and on the center island. There were more glass-paned cabinets than even the blonde omega thought he would need, and he gleefully opened and closed each one.

Dean followed more warily, his fingertips barely touching each surface before he pulled them back, probably afraid of being scolded. When the alphas didn't say anything, he headed for the shiny new gas stove, touching the knobs and opening the oven doors. It had two small ovens instead of one big one, and he nodded in approval. He headed for the fridge and examined it, looking inside and taking a sniff. It was brand new, never used, probably having been replaced for the purpose of selling the house. It was a French door style, bright stainless steel like every other appliance in the house, with water and ice in the door and the freezer on the bottom. Dean grinned and pointed at the touch panel above the ice dispenser, catching Gabe's attention.

"He likes the ice in the door," the older omega pointed out, grinning at his brother. "Also the double ovens, and I agree on that one. New dishwasher, too, and the microwave above the stove. This is a big kitchen, should be good for entertaining the whole gang."

Crowley pointed at the closed door at the back of the kitchen, on the opposite side of the house from the French sliding doors. "That door leads to the garage. Three car. There's also a decent sized den off of the living room and a porch out back."

Dean jumped at the word, heading for the glass doors and glancing outside. He could see a covered, screened in porch leading out to a huge backyard with a scattering of trees and a tall privacy fence. Crowley led the group out into the yard, letting them explore the colorful flowers and well-kept yard. Dean examined everything, glancing over at Cas every few minutes with his eyes shining like emeralds in the sunlight. Joy threaded through his scent, every movement begging the alpha to _let him have this_. Crowley watched Cas, knowing that the alpha would make the final decision but reasonably certain that the silent omega's reaction would be a factor.

Crowley led them upstairs after examining the den, taking them first toward the master bedroom. "This is huge, Chief," Benny murmured, glancing up at the sloped ceiling and the fan hanging down from it. The walk in closet was tucked in one corner, with the door to the bathroom along the same side wall and two windows along the back wall. Benny pointed out that there would be plenty of room between them for a bed. The bathroom itself was spacious, with a large shower stall and a huge, oval tub under a large window. A long counter filled the other wall, with two sinks, plenty of storage, and a huge mirror behind it.

The second bedroom had its own bathroom, also, though both were a bit smaller than the master. Gabriel glanced out the windows that looked onto the back yard and proclaimed it _his_ room, finding that he liked the setup of the bathroom and could imagine his small amount of furniture would fit in the bedroom just fine. They examined the other two rooms and the bathroom across from them, heading up the stairs to what had once been an attic.

Benny fell in love with the bedroom and its small, attached den in the attic. He exclaimed over the small windows that looked toward the front yard and driveway, giving him a view of any approaching visitors. The den was suitable for small gatherings, to which Benny decided he would invite Ketch, Balth, Ishim, and Akobel on nights when none of them were on guard. Cas watched his friend's excitement, slowly letting acceptance fill his scent.

"I like it," the head alpha finally murmured, glancing down at Crowley. He spotted Ketch in the front yard, examining the perimeter as he exchanged pleasantries with Ishim before moving on. "Gabriel likes it, Benny is planning a party in the attic, and Dean would ask me to buy it if he thought he had the right to." The tall omega glanced over at his alpha and nodded slowly in agreement, slowly reaching up to rub his collar.

"And you, Mr. Novak?"

"I hate to give my cousin any credit, but he is right. You truly do understand our needs. I want this house, Crowley. Do we have a price?"

The realtor nodded, pulling out a sheaf of papers from his pocket. It listed the important specs of the house, including the age of the roof and appliances, assurances that the hardwood floors downstairs were original and that the carpets upstairs had been replaced just a year earlier. It also had the sellers' asking price, which Crowley was sure had been set too high.

Benny led Dean and Gabe back outside as Crowley led Cas to the kitchen and spread his papers out for the alpha to see. They went over the price, the details, and the salient points of the offer Cas would make on the house. Once it was all hammered out, Crowley typed everything into his tablet, noting that his client would be making a cash offer, which was generally very appealing to sellers in the area. Thankfully, nothing had to be wet signed except for the contract for Crowley to represent Cas in the purchase of the house, which the real estate agent already had prepared. Once the alpha had signed that and squiggled the best approximation of his name on the tablet in the appropriate places, Crowley led the group out and locked the door behind them.

Cas ushered the omegas back into the car, letting Benny take the wheel again as the other alphas and beta hopped on their bikes. Dean, sitting in the back with Cas, took off his seatbelt and scooted to the middle seat and bit his lip, carefully leaning against the alpha's side. When Cas didn't resist, Dean let out the start of a stuttering purr, his throat vibrating furiously as he tried to keep it up. "Do you like the house, Dean?"

"Y-yes," the omega managed, cursing himself for the effort that it took. "Y-yours?"

"Yeah, I'm making an offer on it. Crowley will send it over to the seller's agent this afternoon. He is hopeful that they will accept."

"Good."


	5. Given the Dog a Bone

Chapter 5: Given the Dog a Bone

* * *

Dean awoke with a start on his second morning of freedom, his fading dreams leaving a flush across his chest and a strange hardness in his sleep pants. He had cuddled up next to Cas in the night, the alpha still sleeping peacefully in the huge bed with his back to the omega, clearly unaware of the younger man's sudden . . . problem.

Dean had been locked in chastity since his first heat, but he did remember what it was like to be hard, to have that urge to . . . well, when he had been in heat he had wanted desperately for his alpha to mount him, to breed him, to make the burning stop. This was different. His dick was hard, but he didn't feel any slick leaking from his hole and he didn't really have the same urge for sex that he remembered from his many heats. It was uncomfortable, though, and he would have preferred not to have it tenting his pants in such an unseemly manner. He wiggled a little bit to try to find a better position, gasping breathlessly as a shock of pleasure spread through his body when he rubbed up against Cas's leg.

Dean slid his arm around Cas's waist and moved closer, rubbing his erection against the alpha for a second time. That felt really good. The omega bit his lip and closed his eyes, rutting as quietly as he could against the older man, chasing those bursts of pleasure as _something_ began to build inside him. He had never been allowed to touch himself, but after watching Azazel mate with Lilith for so many years he knew what he was heading towards. He could barely keep silent, panting into Cas's shoulder as he got closer to the edge, never noticing that the alpha had woken up and was holding as still as possible to avoid frightening the omega.

Dean came with a start, his broken gasp burning against Cas's shoulder. The alpha couldn't hold still after that, turning over and pulling the omega into his arms as he took a deep breath, storing as much of the boy's sweet apple pie scent as he could. He felt Dean freeze in his arms, but he would need a moment before he could force himself to loosen his grip.

"I'm sorry," Dean whispered, intensely aware of the cooling wet spot on the front of his flannel pants and the hard, hot length of his alpha's erection against his leg. He had taken his pleasure without thinking about Cas; surely his new owner was going to punish him now. Dean calmed his body, tilting his head to one side to expose his neck submissively as he waited for Cas to give him a command.

"Just give me a moment, Dean," the alpha whispered brokenly, his nose pressed tightly against the omega's neck. "Your scent . . . it's almost too much for me to handle. Give me a minute to gain some control."

"I'm sorry," Dean whispered, finding it easier and easier to speak the longer he was away from Azazel's cruel control. "Shouldn't have . . ."

"Dean, that's fine. I'm not upset at you, I promise." Cas finally released his iron grip on the half-starved omega, pushing himself into a sitting position. Dean slipped out of his wet pants and panties, frowning sadly at the stain on the satiny pink fabric. He turned sideways in the bed and got onto all fours, arching his back and presenting as Azazel had taught him, hoping that his new alpha would understand him without the need for words. He fully expected that Cas would jump him right then and there, the alpha's heady arousal coloring his honey and ginger scent.

What he wasn't expecting was a gentle, yet firm hand on his hip pushing his ass down and urging him into a sitting position. Cas smiled softly and ran his fingers through Dean's hair, waiting until the omega's scent calmed completely before speaking. "I'm not going to mount you, Dean. You're offering yourself because you think you did something wrong by coming in your pants without thinking about me first. I won't allow you to punish yourself."

Dean pointed at Cas's still prominent erection, a question in his eyes, and the alpha shrugged. "I will take care of it myself, or it will eventually go down on its own. Just . . . your scent . . . it was so strong right after you came and I just needed to smell you. Thank you for letting me."

"I . . ." Dean trailed off, pointing at his pink panties sadly. If he had realized sooner what that pleasure would lead towards, he wouldn't have come in his nice new clothes.

Cas traced his gaze, smiling gently at the younger man. "We'll just have them washed. The hotel has a service, according to Gabe. You can wear a different pair today, maybe the green ones. You should change them daily, in any case. If you wake up again like that tomorrow, you'll know what to expect."

Dean nodded, smiling as he tossed his shirt to the floor and headed for the door, knowing that he needed a shower after coming all over himself. Cas chuckled as Gabe entered a moment later, the blonde omega averting his eyes from Dean's naked form. "So, clothing is optional with that one, it seems."

"He came all over his pajamas," Cas explained, pointing at the small pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. "Apparently he's never dealt with the aftermath of sex dreams before."

Gabriel shrugged and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, pausing for a moment to ensure that his chosen perch wasn't wet and sticky before settling. "Buncha' people comin' in from the old homestead today, and Michael has some figures for you to run."

"Houston? I already gave him a recommendation about the business there. He should accept the offer from that fishing business for exclusive rights on docks four and five."

"He doesn't want to tie up two docks, and they won't settle for one."

Cas snorted and shook his head, reaching for a change of clothes as the sound of the shower filtered in from the main room. "Luci doesn't trust his clan leader out there, so he wants to micro manage the guy, but he's right in this case. The offer is good."

"You don't like Zachariah either," Gabriel pointed out.

"No," Cas conceded, "but I know a good business deal when I see it." He could see in Gabe's eyes that his argument wouldn't be enough for their older brothers, so he sighed and nodded before pulling on a shirt. "Fine, tell Mike I'll look over the numbers. And have Luci send me his plans for redistributing his people to deal with this Devil's Blood issue so I can make sure that we aren't going to have any problems with his choices."

"How do you know he's going to reorganize?"

Cas shrugged, finding a pair of pants, the green panties, and three layers of shirts for Dean to wear. The omega still wasn't comfortable choosing his own clothes, always deferring to his alpha. "It's obvious. The fight with Azazel was a clear threat to our dominance in the Midwest, and our brothers are nothing if not protective. They'll move people to the border cities, and I need to make sure that they don't leave our operations vulnerable anywhere else."

"Alright, I'll convey the message."

Dean returned from his shower a moment later, toweling his hair dry as he smiled and nodded at Gabriel. He spotted the clothes laid out on the bed and smiled at Cas, reaching for the satiny green panties in delight. "Thank you."

"Of course," Cas replied, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame it enough to leave the room. "Let's head down for breakfast. Gabe and I will be busy working for most of the day, but Charlie will be over soon to start working on your lesson plan. That is, if you still want to get your GED?" Dean had agreed to the plan the day before, but Cas wanted to be sure that he wasn't just trying to please the alpha.

"Yes, Alpha," Dean replied, his voice soft but strong. He was getting better at speaking by the minute, proving that a large part of his impairment was mental, not physical.

"You don't have to call me 'Alpha', Dean. It's Castiel, or Cas. Please, do refrain from choosing the affectation that my brothers prefer."

"Cassie," Gabriel supplied helpfully, hopping off the bed at the promise of food.

"Thank you, C-Cas," Dean amended, struggling only a moment with the harder consonant sound. The alpha smiled at the reply, very much liking the sound of his name in the omega's deep voice. He might never tire of hearing it.

* * *

"Cassie! I'm home!"

Castiel, who had just finished a long but productive phone call with his east-coast brothers, let out a long-suffering sigh as his younger brother sauntered into the hotel suite. Dean looked up from the placement test Charlie had given him, eyes widening at the slender, outrageously attired omega who pulled Castiel up and wrapped him in a hug. This, then, had to be Samandriel, the youngest of the five Novak brothers, his scent suitably omega-sweet and his bright, airy clothes practically screaming his subgender to the world. He was attired in loose, flowing sheer layers of blue and green under his heavily embroidered white kimono top, none of the fabric thick enough to hide his lean, but decently muscled chest or the tattoos that decorated his upper body. The layers wrapped around his lower half in a split skirt, but the omega had worn indigo yoga pants under them for modesty and comfort on such a long ride.

Gabriel chuckled as he caught Dean staring, tapping Samandriel on the shoulder and nodding toward the newest member of the gang. A pair of intense, pale blue eyes met confused forest green, and even Cas grinned at the scene. "As you can see, neither of my omega brothers has any concept of traditional clothes or colors. Alfie has traveled the world and prefers the loose, flowing garments that he saw in southeast Asia last time he went. I don't think he has ever worn dark colors, even as Gabriel abhors bright, happy shades and sticks to dark jeans and simpler shirts most of the time."

"I like it," Dean replied, reaching out tentatively to feel the sheer fabric.

"I'm Samandriel, or Alfie depending on my mood," the other omega offered, holding out his wrist for his new acquaintance to sniff.

Dean, who hadn't had much experience interacting politely with other omegas, leaned forward and took in Alfie's scent, detecting hyacinth with a distinct lilac undertone. He offered his wrist in return, swallowing quickly before introducing himself. "Dean."

"Nice to meet you, Dean. Balth has already told me a little bit about you, and I'm hoping that we can be good friends."

"Better you than me," Balthazar drawled, winking conspiratorially when Dean looked up at him in the doorway. "Dean, you'll want to learn to talk pretty quick if you plan to get a word in edgewise around this pup. I swear he hasn't shut up since Chicago."

"It's hard to talk with the music that loud," Alfie snapped back, grinning playfully at his cousin. "What are you up to over there?"

Dean glanced over his shoulder at the computer Charlie had lent him, his latest test sitting there patiently, waiting for him to return. "Test," he replied.

Cas reached out and caught Alfie's arm just below the elbow, squeezing a gentle warning before he jumped in to explain. "We're helping Dean get ready for his GED and Charlie needed to know how much he learned before he had to leave school. Once he's done, he'll be free to hang out with you and Balth while Charlie analyzes the results. It'll be good for you to get to know him since I have a couple of big meetings coming up later this week and won't be as available as I'd like. Dean, is that alright with you?"

The green-eyed omega nodded eagerly, already liking this newest Novak brother. Azazel had never allowed him to have friends, and the one or two omegas he talked to were bought like him, property of Azazel's clan mates, and rarely were they good company. Alfie looked like he had a lot of fun in life, and maybe he would help Dean understand a lot of the social cues he missed out on growing up with an omega-hating dad and abusive owner.

Balth sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, having noticed that Cas volunteered him to watch his cousin and the newest clan member for at least the rest of the week. "I have a social life too, Cassie. You don't think they would enjoy someone else's company more?"

"I do not," Cas answered with finality, catching Gabe's eye and nodding at Alfie's bag on the floor. The older brother replied with an unimpressed glare, conveying that _of course_ Alfie would share his bed; he had been doing it on trips since he was a tiny pup. Grabbing the bag, Gabe carried it into his bedroom, the brief interaction not interfering with the conversation at all. "You want to stick your knot in that surprisingly astute but surly real estate agent, you are welcome to do that on your own time, like at night when all of the omegas are safely in here with me. Until then, with the exception of our meeting later this week, you and Benny are in charge of them."

Balthazar blushed at the implication that he wanted to sleep with Crowley, not that it wasn't true but their interactions had not reached that point yet. He knew better than to argue with his boss when he was given a direct order, so he straightened his back and nodded sharply. "Of course, Cassie. You don't mind if I see Crowley tonight after supper?"

"No, I fully expect you to. You've been single far too long and I would love to have some pups in the family." Cas hadn't been talking about pups of his own, not intentionally, but he caught Dean's jade eyes from across the room and wondered what the omega's babies would look like. He didn't want to imagine the ones that Dean wasn't able to carry to term, the ones fathered by Azazel, so his mind helpfully supplied a picture of a green-eyed girl with raven-dark hair, her head tilted curiously just like Cas's did when he was trying to understand something.

"Do you want pups?"

Dean's soft inquiry broke Cas's chain of thought and he looked up at the omega, seated at the table and holding himself perfectly still. He was controlling his scent to hide his desperation to hear the answer, but his hands trembled slightly where they rested beside the computer and his eyes burned with eagerness.

"Yes, Dean, I do. I always have, ever since Alfie was born. You might not believe it now, but he was an adorable pup." The omega in question, who had taken over the television and was surfing through channels to find something interesting to watch, snorted. "I've never courted anyone or had a mate, so I have not had the occasion to act on that wish. Do you want them?"

Dean nodded and dropped his gaze, his trembling hand calming as he traced patterns on the table in front of him. "I do." There was more he wanted to say, but forming the words in his mind was easy compared with speaking them out loud. Azazel had never allowed him to carry any of his pups to term, but some of the alpha's friends' bought omegas were allowed to give birth, keep their pups. Dean had often wished that his master would soften on the issue, given time.

"Dean, you have that choice now. When your next heat comes, you'll be able to spend it with whomever you want, as long as they are amenable to your request, and if a pregnancy is the result then we will support you and your pup. I promise."

Dean raised his eyes to meet Cas's again, smiling as Gabe, Alfie, and Balth nodded in fervent agreement. He pointed at himself and then at Cas, a question in his eyes.

The biker smiled and walked over to the desk, reaching up to run his fingers through Dean's dark blond hair. It would probably be a light brown if he didn't spend so much time out in the sun, but a biker's active life had lightened his hair and sprinkled his face with freckles. "I would agree, if you asked me, but I want to make sure that you are asking because you want _me_, not because I saved you from Azazel. You don't, in any way, owe me, okay?"

"I know," Dean whispered, leaning into Cas's caress and nuzzling his palm softly. He was sure that he would ask Cas to be his alpha, but he understood why the biker wanted him to wait. Dean knew that he was damaged, that life with Azazel had made him _different_ from these other omegas, but he knew that he could heal, especially since his new family believed in him.

"When _is _your next heat?" Alfie hadn't found anything interesting on tv, so he plopped down at the table beside Dean, phone in hand. It wasn't uncommon for omegas to trigger each other's heats, so having the approximate dates documented would help them all prepare.

"I, uh, I don't know," Dean admitted. They had always been pretty irregular and infrequent; he remembered that his last one had been about seven months ago and . . . Azazel got rid of the pup so it could be anywhere from a few months to a year before he went into heat again. "Lost the pup," he managed, swallowing sharply as he urged his mind not to return to the memory of the beating Azazel had given him for the crime of getting pregnant without permission.

"Seven months ago," Cas added gently. "That's when his last heat was."

Alfie reached out and wrapped an arm around Dean's shoulders, his scent supportive and kind. "Gabe was pregnant once, maybe five years ago? The alpha was an exotic woman named Kali he met at a biker convention."

"It was a short acquaintance, but I happened to go into heat that weekend and she offered to take care of me," Gabe continued, quickly realizing his brother's intention with the story. "She was wonderful, but not the kind of alpha I could see myself taking as a mate. Hell of a good time, though. A few weeks after the convention I found out I was pregnant; the birth control I was on at the time messed me up and apparently wasn't that effective. Eh, you live you learn."

Azazel had never put Dean on birth control, citing the high expense of a yearly doctor's visit to keep the prescription active and the monthly cost of the pills themselves. Now Dean understood that the alpha had been afraid of what a physical would reveal, so he was willing to keep paying for abortions, instead. "The pup?"

"I was willing to keep it, of course—the clan is happy to help single parents raise their pups if the partner is not around for some reason—but I lost the pregnancy around the middle of the second trimester. I didn't do anything wrong, just sometimes the fetus is 'incompatible with life' as they say. I want my next pregnancy to be with my mate, though, and a little more planned."

"Did you . . . did you know . . ." Dean trailed off and sighed, his voice failing him. It would take time for his vocal cords to strengthen enough for sustained conversation, and right now it was just too much for him to manage. He pointed at himself and then Charlie, the motion conveying his question. He hadn't known the gender of any of his pups.

"It was a boy," Gabe replied, his voice calm and steady. He had come to terms with the loss years earlier, as much as one can, but he still yearned for a pup of his own. "It took months for my heat cycle to settle back down, but spending time with other omegas helped. Eventually, Alfie went into heat for the first time, and I guess my body realized that it needed to get itself into gear. Our heats have been synced ever since."

Dean pointed at the other two omegas and then at himself, tilting his head curiously.

"Your heat should sync with ours, yeah. It's rare for omegas not to spend time with others of their subgender, so your body has probably been really confused for the last seven years or so. We'll get you fixed right up."

"Thank you," Dean managed in a scratchy whisper. He mimicked rocking a pup in his arms and then drew a tear down his cheek; he wanted Gabe to know that he was sorry that the other omega had lost a pup that he would have been allowed to keep.

"It wasn't meant to be, not then, so I don't mourn the loss too much. Stick around, kiddo, and you'll see me running around with lots of cute little pups. Hopefully with an alpha mate twice my size to spoil them!"

Dean smiled, the tension in the room fading. Gabe rarely talked about his pregnancy, but he knew that it was something that their newest clan mate needed to hear. Maybe it would help him come to terms with his past so he would be ready to have pups of his own one day.

* * *

Balthazar strode into Crowley's office, all alpha pride and biker swagger, a thick brown envelope under his arm as he nodded at the receptionist on the way by. The British omega offered his excuse for a smile, something between a feral grin and a mischievous smirk. It worked for him, though, and Balthazar smirked back as he dropped his envelope on the desk. "This should be all of the paperwork you requested from Cas. I also have the Due Diligence check and the Earnest Money one, made out to the entities you specified. He said that you mentioned that the sellers were pleased with his offer."

"They were pleased, especially after they read the letter I sent along with it."

"What do you mean?"

Crowley pulled the documents out of the envelope and checked through them, ensuring that every page was correctly initialed or signed and that the information on the paper matched the agreement with the seller's agent. "I send along a letter with every offer, something short that talks about the buyer and their situation, hoping to sway the sellers in a multiple-bid situation. There have been fifteen bids on that house in the past week, but I knew that the sellers were a nice family, local to Lawrence, and they have five pups, two of them omega boys. I mentioned that Castiel was attempting to make a safe home for a male omega saved from a pseudo-legal and morally unconscionable situation, something that they would be terrified to see their own newly-presented sons subjected to. Our offer was very similar to the others, but knowing just that small bit of Dean's history and seeing Castiel's nobility in taking on an abused omega tipped the balance in your favor."

"I suspect that not all agents write these letters?"

Crowley looked up from his papers and shook his head, nodding toward his window that looked over the small side parking lot. "I watched him play in the flowers. I could see the entire map of his life laid out, right there, and it's something I have seen before. What your cousin did for that boy is noble, and it's only right that he be able to give Dean the house he loved so much. It was so common even as recently as ten years ago for omegas, especially the less-desirable male ones, to be pulled out of school at a young age and sold off to the highest bidder before their first heat, and rarely as a potential mate. The laws are changing slowly, and I do some work with local politicians to encourage that trend, but there are so many boys like Dean who have lost so much that they can never recover. I can't give him anything more than a stable home, so I made sure that your bid was accepted."

Balthazar smiled and reached out to offer the back of his hand to the omega, fingers curled in slightly, a gesture that all subgenders used as a request for physical contact. "Cassie calls you surly, but astute," he murmured, smiling as Crowley leaned forward far enough to rub his cheek against the offered hand. "I don't think I've ever agreed with him more. You have layers that I did not expect."

"I rarely let anyone get close enough to find that out," the real estate agent replied thoughtfully, a faint hint of gold glowing in the outer ring of his irises.

"Do you want to have dinner with me Friday night, give me the chance to discover a few more?"

Crowley's eyes did flash gold at that, the color fading slightly as he tilted his head. "I thought your dear cousin tasked you with guarding the three omegas until this house thing was finalized."

"He did, but we have a big meeting around lunch that day, and a few of my other relatives and clan mates will be watching the boys while I'm guarding Cas. He's given me the night off in recognition of how much I hate clan meetings."

"In that case, as long as you have no other obligations, I would be glad to have dinner with you. Where are you taking me?"

Balthazar grinned. "I only know four food places in this whole town, and none of them would be appropriate. If it pleases you, I would like to take you to your favorite restaurant."

Crowley grinned and nodded. "That's fair. There's a Scottish pub my mother's most recent partner owns, and it serves some phenomenal authentic dishes, as well as having a wide selection of alcohols that both of us might enjoy. Pick me up at seven—in a car, if possible—and I will show you where it is."

"It's a deal. I'll see you then."

* * *

Castiel pulled on a green and navy flannel before grabbing his leather jacket, running his fingers over the patch on the back that proclaimed his clan. "Balth, where did you send your sister and her guests for the day?"

"She found some sort of museum that has a butterfly exhibit. Maybe bees, too." Balthazar shrugged, the heavy leather of his riding jacket giving his lean frame the illusion of bulk. "She's too much like you, with the bugs and whatever."

"Bees are noble creatures, and they provide most of the food that we eat."

Balthazar rolled his eyes as he led his boss down to the hotel lobby, nodding at Benny and Ishim as the pair of alphas met them just outside the elevators. "Maybe most of the food _you_ eat," the lean alpha countered, "but I'm not fond of fruits and vegetables. I'm more of a red meat kind of guy, to be fair."

"Why are we talking about meat?" Gabe, who had headed downstairs earlier with Ketch to grab a snack before their lunch meeting, offered his brother a tiny blueberry muffin. Cas shook his head before patting Akobel on the shoulder, leading his small gang out to the parking lot. He fervently hoped that this meeting of the clans would be less eventful than the last.


	6. Have a Drink on Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we have the Winchester/Campbell clan and associates, the Demon Hunters. Everyone, let's give a warm welcome to Sam Winchester!

Chapter 6: Have a Drink on Me

* * *

Sam settled deeper into his chair, glaring at the glass of water in front of him as he played with his silverware. Adam, barely two years younger than his half-brother, knew what was going through the taller man's mind. This would be the first major clan meeting since Sam took over the Demon Hunters from their adopted uncle, Bobby Singer. The gruff biker had adopted the pups when their father died in a stupid fight in a biker bar against three alphas twice his size. Sam hadn't known about his younger brother before that day, just a week after he turned twelve, but they had been close ever since.

"You're not too young," Adam murmured, his pale eyes watching the door as he reached for a sip of his drink. "First off, you're bigger than any other alpha you've ever met, and everything I've heard about this Castiel Novak character indicates that he is a fair and decent man. He wasn't any older than you when he took over his segment of the Hells Angels clan, and he's kept his territory running well for years. He's not going to judge you for your age."

"If you say so," Sam murmured uncertainly. He had agreed to an equal number of attendees for this meeting, five alphas besides himself and one omega to balance out Castiel's older brother. By all accounts, Gabriel Novak acted like an alpha in his clan, attending every meeting and making decisions in running the family business. Sam had been warned by Bobby and Rufus not to underestimate Gabriel despite his size and subgender, so he had brought Gadreel to even the odds, hoping that a tall, alpha-sized omega would counteract a brash, alpha-acting one.

Adam, Gadreel's brother Christian, Rufus, Garth, and Kevin rounded out the group, all of them sitting at the main table or one nearby as they waited for their hosts to arrive. Garth was the most unassuming of their group, very tall and gangly with a smile for anyone who needed it and a wealth of knowledge about anything biker related. He only rode with the gang part time, living with his mate and young pup in Sioux Falls near Bobby as the old man trained him to be the scholar of the clan.

Kevin, though much smaller, looked the part of a biker alpha much more, his features stoic as he casually played with a small knife on the table in front of him. His mother was a strong woman, having raised the boy when his father died at the hands of a gang in Chinatown, and she had hoped that moving to the middle of the country would protect her pup from the same kind of fate. It had worked somewhat, since Kevin managed to graduate high school and college with flying colors, but his knowledge of modern and ancient languages made him invaluable to the antiquities firm that the pack ran as a side business, and he had been riding with them for almost a year now. His mother had taken his new hobby in stride, joining him when he got his first tattoos and mothering even the oldest and grumpiest of their members.

Christian and Rufus were older members of the gang, Rufus nearing retirement with his old friend Bobby and Christian trying to juggle riding across the country with his mate's growing desire for a permanent home and family. Christian was a reasonably dominant alpha ten years older than Sam, so bowing to a young leader had been difficult for him. The position of Head Alpha tended to be inherited within a family line, so Bobby appointing his adopted son was completely accepted by most members. Sam and Christian had come to blows for the first month, but eventually the older alpha bowed to his cousin's authority. Rufus, who had probably never smiled a day in his life, had quickly accepted Sam, though he kept the boy on his toes with his sarcastic, borderline asshole personality.

Sam looked up as the door opened and a dark-haired man with a strong jaw entered, clad in a soft gray suit with a lavender tie, riding jacket slung casually over one arm. His hair wasn't mussed in the least from his motorcycle helmet, a single cross tattooed on the back of his hand. He looked too proper to be a biker, but his calculating eyes were sharp, taking in every detail of the scene before he reached up and tapped his ear, murmuring something into a hidden mic. The move was obviously telegraphed; he didn't need to touch his earpiece to speak, but he wanted the other bikers to know that he was reporting back to his leader. He moved to sit at one of the side tables across from Christian, though he never took his eyes off of Sam and Adam. This, then, was an alpha to be reckoned with, despite his civilized exterior.

The second alpha to enter the diner was bulkier than the first, his pale blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines and a bayou-looking hat settled on his head. He looked a bit more like a traditional biker with a scruffy beard and tattoos along his exposed forearms and peeking out from the collar of his shirt, but there was a casual ease about the way he moved that made him seem friendlier somehow. He glanced at the first man and nodded, taking a seat at a different table, greeting old Rufus cordially who actually grunted something that sounded nice.

The next two walked in together, both of them older and clearly very comfortable with each other. One was tall and lean with long, barely-controlled blonde hair, and his companion had darker hair neatly combed back with a salt-and-pepper beard that hinted at his age. Their faces were lined, from age and from the sun, and Sam decided that they must be two of the elders of this gang, putting them in their early fifties. They both looked like they could and would still fight, each taking a seat at the side tables with the rest of Sam's gang.

The next man to enter was leaner than the rest, visibly the most similar to Garth, with curled blonde hair and bright blue eyes, possibly a family trait considering how many of the Hells Angels sported that color. He wore a low-cut shirt under his leather jacket, tattoos covering his chest and arms, knives in sheaths tucked in his belt and what looked like a pair of handcuffs in his back pocket. Weird. He looked over his shoulder and ushered in his leader, the head alpha of the Midwest Hells Angels.

Sam had only ever seen blurry images and small group photos of Castiel, so he was not prepared for the intensity of those vibrant sapphire eyes, nor for the confidence that the other alpha exuded with every stride. It was said that Castiel could have any omega he wanted, and with that messy raven hair and those eyes, Sam could well believe the rumors. He could tell that the older alpha was built, easily a match for him physically even if he had a few inches on the guy. Sam hoped that their meeting went well, because he was not interested in tangling with that alpha.

Close on Castiel's heels, more eager than his brother to enter the diner and the promise of food, Gabriel couldn't have been more different. Though he dressed in traditional alpha colors, his sweet scent screamed _omega_, and his brilliant eyes were a dark imitation of true omega gold. He sported a couple days' worth of beard, even as his brother did, and he wore his blond hair down to his shoulders, allowing it to keep a slight wave. He walked as if he were as tall as the alphas in his clan, though he was only five-eight at best, and Sam caught his breath as the omega met his eyes across the room.

* * *

Gabriel wouldn't say he actively disliked clan meetings, but he did have plenty of better things to do. He didn't entirely trust his brother to take care of himself at these things, though, so he always made sure he was included, regardless of some clans' feelings about omegas. Today, though, as he met the green-hazel eyes of possibly the most gorgeous alpha he had ever seen, Gabe did not regret his choice. The man, though he couldn't even be in his twenties yet, was taller than Cas, with brunet hair that was a bit too long for someone who frequently wore a helmet and the clean face of a man who was too young yet to reliably grow facial hair. Cas reached out his hand in greeting as all of the bikers stood respectfully, and Gabe finally caught a taste of the alpha's scent.

Gabriel felt himself whine softly, all eyes turning to him as he strode to the tall alpha and leaned close enough to get a good lungful of sandalwood and . . . wood smoke? He ignored the faint terror in the biker's hazel eyes as he took a second sniff, his own gardenia and cherry blossom aroma sweetening with the very recognizable cloying scent of omega arousal.

"Dammit, Gabe," Cas growled, reaching out and grabbing his brother's neck to force him into a chair. Thankfully, the omega fell into the one beside this tantalizing alpha, Cas squeezing sharply in warning before taking his own seat. "Can you keep it in your pants for two seconds? This is not the proper way to greet the alpha of another clan."

The sandy-haired, blue-eyed alpha sitting beside his leader chuckled, reaching out a hand in greeting when it became apparent that his brother was still somewhat in shock from Gabriel's scenting. Cas had forgotten how young these alphas were, eighteen and sixteen based on his reports, though they seemed to have the loyalty of their clan and Bobby certainly must trust them if he was willing to retire and turn the day-to-day operations over to them. "Well, gotta' say I've never enjoyed Sam's scent as much as your brother clearly does. He always smells like burnt wood to me."

"Sandalwood," Gabe breathed, placing his hands on the table in front of him, palms down, as if he needed to physically restrain himself from jumping into Sam's lap. Perhaps he did. "And a campfire built from sweet wood. It makes me think of home."

"We had gardenia bushes in our front yard when I was little," the alpha replied haltingly, letting his hazel eyes meet shining gold as he twisted his hands together. "My older brother would pick them for me when I was sick or when I was sad about our mother's death. One time, I got the flu before the gardenias were blooming, so he went across town to the cherry trees in front of the capital building and cut a branch of tiny pink blooms to cheer me up. Those are my favorite flowers in the world. How can you smell like that?"

"I always have," Gabe replied softly. "Your brother was sweet to steal those flowers for you." Somehow, he wasn't surprised that he smelled like flowers that reminded Sam of home; Gabe believed in true mates even if his baby brother didn't.

Sam nodded sadly, his long hair falling over his eyes before he pushed it back. "He loved me, and I loved him. He basically raised me after my mother died. My dad . . . my dad sold him when it became obvious he would present as an omega. He was only twelve."

Castiel jerked at that, somehow keeping the shock from leaking into his scent as he leaned forward and cleared his throat. He saw Balthazar exchange a look with Benny across the diner, Ketch rubbing the tattoo on his hand in a gesture that indicated his discomfort. Twelve years old? Dean was twelve when he was sold . . . but he never mentioned two brothers. "Where are you from, Sam Winchester?"

The alpha waved one hand around haphazardly. "Here. I'm from Lawrence. Adam was born in Windom, Minnesota, but his dam died when he was very young. Bobby raised him, and he took me in when our mutual sire died."

"Bobby Singer? The former leader of the Demon Hunters?"

Sam nodded, already relaxing in the other head alpha's presence. Despite his rough handling of his omega brother, this blue-eyed man seemed nice, and the situation earlier seemed like a normal sibling interaction. "I asked him to train me to take over. I always wanted . . . heh, this is getting pretty personal for a clan meeting, but I almost had your brother in my lap a minute ago so I feel like I can say this. My brother was sold to a biker, and I always wanted to find him, to save him. He took care of me when we were pups and as an alpha sibling I have the right to buy him back from his . . . owner."

"What if he doesn't want to leave?" Trust Benny to ask that question, his deep voice flowing with a uniquely Cajun southern drawl.

Sam snorted. "If you had met that alpha, you wouldn't ask. He was slimy . . . cruel. I can't imagine that he treated a twelve-year-old omega very well."

Cas was silent for a long, long moment as he tried to decide what to say. When he finally spoke, he knew that these negotiations were going to take a very different turn. "Sam Winchester, we asked you here to propose an alliance against the Devil's Blood gang run by Azazel Prince. We recently drove them out of Lawrence and have taken up residence here in the last week in an effort to preserve our border. Before my older brother tried to crawl into your lap and before you told us about your older brother, that was my only intention today." A waitress approached the group to ask for their drink orders, pausing the conversation for a moment.

"You said that _was_ your intention," Adam continued cautiously after she left, playing with the laminated menu in front of him. "What changed?"

"I will tell you, but I would like an answer first. Bobby Singer was an honorable alpha, a good leader for your clan. My brothers and I have never had an issue at the border with your clan, and we have always considered you friends. Do you feel the same?"

Sam glanced at Adam before making eye contact with his other alphas. "If Bobby trusted you, I trust you. I have no interest in Azazel taking any more cities than he already has."

Cas nodded and glanced over at his brother, stormy blue eyes meeting dark whiskey gold. "You should tell him, Cassie," Gabe murmured. "He deserves to know."

"Tell me what?"

The Hells Angel biker glanced up at his Demon Hunter counterpart, sensing all of his alphas on high alert at the motion. They knew what was coming. "Sam Winchester, when I met with the leader of the Devil's Blood gang, there was an altercation and one of his alphas touched Gabe inappropriately. In recompense for the assault, Azazel signed over ownership of a young omega to me. His name is Dean."

"What?!" Sam surged to his feet, his brother and clan members following a moment later. Cas stayed calmly seated, as did Gabe, but his other alphas stood to face off against the Demon Hunters, making it clear that they would not allow anyone to approach their leader. "You have Dean? You have my brother?"

Cas raised his hand, silently asking his counterpart to calm down. Nostrils flaring, Sam slowly returned to his seat, the ring of alpha red fading from his eyes as he touched his brother's arm. Once all of the bikers were seated, Cas laced his fingers together on the table in front of him and nodded. Sam hadn't mentioned his brother's name, but Cas had guessed that he would react strongly if he heard it. "I believe that the Dean we rescued is the same omega that you are describing. If so, then you were eight or so when he was taken, correct?"

"Yeah, I was eight. Dad wanted to wait until my scent started to come in, to make sure that I wasn't going to be an omega, before selling Dean off. I never forgave him for that."

"Do you remember his scent?"

Sam nodded slowly, nodding gratefully at the waitress as she brought his water. "Yeah, really well. He smelled like fresh apple pie; he used to cook that for me, or steal it when we didn't have the money for the ingredients. Sometimes, as he got older, I would catch a hint of vanilla."

Cas bit his lip and lowered his eyes. "The Dean you are describing and the young man that I liberated from Azazel Prince are the same. He is your brother . . . but I cannot let you see him."

Sam visibly stopped himself from another outburst, his eyes flaring red for a moment before fading back to hazel. Adam, one hand on his brother's arm, was not able to banish the red as quickly but he kept himself still. "Why not?"

"He has only been with us for a few days, and we still have very little idea what happened to him over the last decade. He suffered greatly under Azazel's control and I would prefer that he be more stable and confident before introducing you."

"Introducing me? I'm his brother."

"A brother he hasn't seen in ten years," Benny pointed out from his seat beside Gadreel, the tall omega nodding in reluctant agreement. "You don't look like you did when he last saw you, and at eight your scent had barely begun to blossom. He won't recognize you, _cher_, but introducing a new person into his life right now could cause him a great deal of stress. He's not emotionally stable right now, and we want him to heal. We care about him."

"He's one of us," Gabe added softly, "even if he was your brother first. I've only known him for a few days, but I already consider him one of my baby brothers."

Cas sighed and dropped his head in resignation. "We have been through this, Gabe. You cannot call me _and_ Alfie 'baby', nor can you add that appellation to Dean. I am, however, glad that you care for him. I do, as well."

"He's my brother, Castiel. I want to see him."

Ketch cleared his throat, rubbing his tattoo absently. "Boss, I think that we should allow him to see his brother, albeit from a distance, confirm for himself that Dean is healthy. We should, however, hold off on any actual meeting until Dean is better, until he asks you about Sam."

"He will ask, too," Balthazar added. "When he is comfortable with us and when he is sure that Cas will not torture him the way Azazel did, he will want to know about his family."

"I'll give you your alliance, Castiel, if you let me see my brother, if you promise that I will be able to speak with him in the near future."

The older alpha reached out his hand and smiled as Sam took it. "Deal."

* * *

Balthazar glanced at his phone and read Anna's text, reaching over and tapping Cas's shoulder. The raven-haired alpha glanced up from the remains of his lunch, one eyebrow raised. "She says that they are finished at the museum and are heading to that park Dean likes."

Sam smiled. "He likes parks?"

"He likes being outdoors," Gabe explained. "He likes flowers. I guess that hasn't changed from when you were children. And he likes playing with the pups."

"Does he have any pups?" Gadreel, apparently one of Sam's cousins and the only Demon Hunter omega present, leaned forward see around Benny, his table mate polishing off his fries.

Cas shook his head. "No, he doesn't, but he wants them. I think it's best if he answers your questions about that when he meets you officially."

"I also want pups," Gabriel added, grinning as Sam blushed. "I'm hoping for twins."

"You aren't even mated yet," Balthazar groaned, the image of Gabriel chasing after two half-grown pups flitting through his mind. "I couldn't imagine you with kids. You eat nothing but candy and you wouldn't know what exercise was if it bit you in the ass."

"I eat other things," Gabriel argued, polishing off the huge slice of chocolate cake he had ordered for dessert. "And I'm in great shape."

"A salad's not going to kill you, though," Sam replied, eyeing the omega's dessert warily. "I don't think you had a single green thing on your plate today."

Gabe smiled and reached out, running his fingers along the back of Sam's hand gently before resting them carefully on the alpha's forearm. "If you want me to eat greens, you're going to have to feed them to me yourself."

"Be careful, brother, it's a trap," Benny warned. "That one is a handful."

Sam turned his hand over and grabbed Gabe's, pulling the omega's wrist to his nose for a quick sniff. "He might be worth it."

Balthazar snorted. "He can ride with you to the park, then. He's the worst backseat driver I've ever had on my bike, and he likes to sing along with the music. He's not terrible, but he is loud."

Sam nodded at Benny's table-mate, the tall omega with the pale blue eyes. "Gadreel usually rides with me. If I take Gabriel, who will take him?"

Benny smiled and reached up to touch the brim of his hat, lowering it slightly in an imitation of a bow. Cas had never figured out how he wore the thing under his helmet, but he rarely saw the alpha with a bare head. "Your cousin would be most welcome on my bike. He seems to be a bit less excitable than Gabe, and I would appreciate the change of pace."

Gadreel tilted his head and leaned forward, taking a gentle sniff and smiling at Benny's scent, one that always reminded Castiel of a sun-warmed sea breeze. "It is acceptable."

The groups paid for their food, filing out the door like some leather-clad pack of wolves, covered in tattoos and watching each other somewhat warily. Castiel's group reached their bikes first, Gadreel following Benny as Gabriel abandoned his brother in favor of the taller, younger alpha. Sam blushed as he pulled on his helmet and zipped up his leather jacket, the emblem of the Demon Hunters proudly displayed on his back. Gabriel hopped up behind him on the bike and snuggled up against his back, wrapping his arms around Sam's waist as he rested his chin on the alpha's spine. Castiel shook his head at his brother's antics, secretly happy to see the omega interested in someone for the first time since his tryst with Kali. And this alpha was a male, Gabriel's expressed preference, even though the boy was barely an adult and clearly unsure of how to handle a randy omega.

Benny was faring better with his charge, checking that Gadreel was settled in before pulling on his helmet and starting his engine. Balthazar walked his bike into position beside Castiel's as the head alpha revved his engine and prepared to head out. He met Sam's eyes across the parking lot, and the younger alpha bowed his head in deference, admitting Castiel's dominance over him both due to his age and the Hells Angels ownership of this territory. Nodding, the raven-haired alpha turned his sapphire gaze toward the road that would lead him back to Dean and headed out, a dozen bikes roaring out behind him.

* * *

Sam had been riding on motorcycles for most of his life, his dad pawning him off to Bobby frequently after selling Dean. He rarely had passengers other than his cousin, and Gadreel was nearly his height and didn't cuddle up to him the way Gabriel was doing. Also, he didn't rest his head between the alpha's shoulder blades or tuck a very prominent erection against his ass. Sam had never taken the time to date anyone, having devoted the last ten years of his life to finding his brother, so he was understandably flustered by the handsy omega, his sweet, flowery scent, and his own reaction to that lure. Sam's alpha was nearly howling for this older man, and he couldn't bring himself to push Gabe away or ask him not to dry hump him on the drive from the diner to the park where the Hells Angels omegas were relaxing. Part of him wanted to pull over onto the side of the road and take Gabriel right there, the rest of the bikers be damned, but a stronger part, if only barely, needed to see his brother, to know that Dean was alive and well.

Castiel pulled into a small parking lot off the main road, turning off his bike and kicking the stand into place. His alphas followed him, filling each parking space with three bikes and removing their helmets. Benny helped Gadreel down, even though the tall omega did not need any assistance, and Sam found himself wondering about the gentle way Cas's guard was treating his cousin. Gabe's arms tightened around Sam's waist as the young alpha pulled into a spot and hopped off, taking a moment to calm his hormones before turning to help Gabriel. The older omega grinned wryly as he adjusted his dark jeans, not even bothering to pretend that he wasn't still hard from the ride over.

"You're pretty forward, Gabriel."

"You're welcome to be a little more forward yourself, Sammykins," Gabe replied cheekily, linking his arm with the alpha's. "I'm going to sit with you and your alphas at the picnic tables and Cas will go speak with Dean. He doesn't want to risk destabilizing the boy's fragile mental state, but he thinks you deserve to see him. You have to promise that you won't run off to speak with him; Dean is under Cassie's protection and he would react poorly if you rushed him."

Sam recognized the warning for what it was, nodding gratefully as he followed the omega over to the picnic tables. They were turned sideways toward the play area where a dozen pups were running around, a few teens and at least two adult omegas keeping an eye on them. The rest of the Demon Hunters settled uncomfortably on the hard wooden benches, Sam's relatives looking around for a glimpse of the oldest Winchester pup.

Benny had taken up position on the other side of the playground, Gadreel leaning against a tree beside him as the two got lost in conversation. Balthazar stood near them, though far enough away that he didn't have to hear what the tall omega was saying to the biker he saw as a brother. Ishim and Akobel had taken up posts on the two sides of the playground, leaving Ketch to watch over Sam's clan and guard Gabriel.

* * *

Dean looked up as soon as he caught Cas's scent, smiling in that slightly unsure way he had. "Hey, Cas. How was your meeting?" He could usually manage longer sentences if he kept his voice low, thought it meant that he had to stand closer to the alpha to be heard.

"It was more productive than I thought it would be," the alpha replied, settling onto the long bench beside the omega. Charlie sat on the other side, her mate half-curled in her arms as they talked about something they had seen at the museum. "What about yours?"

"I liked the skeletons." Dean glanced over toward the picnic tables on the other side of the pup play area, frowning at the tall, brown-haired man sitting next to Gabriel who was watching them with intense hazel eyes. "Who is that?"

"He's the leader of one of the other biker gangs in the area," Cas replied smoothly. "Gabe has a bit of a crush on him, and he thought the guy should see our pack, see that we treat our omegas well and don't mean him any harm. We want an alliance with them against the Devil's Blood gang so they will never again dare to cross our borders."

"An alliance is good," Dean murmured, tucking himself slightly behind Cas as the alpha kept staring so intensely. "He's watching us weird."

Benny heard the words and nodded toward Balthazar, who raised his hand to his neck and tapped the side once, a signal to Ketch that the meeting was over. The Brit smiled politely as he leaned close to Sam and offered to show him a hotel nearby where his clan could stay for a while, a very clear command in his tone. Nodding shakily, Sam waved a hand toward his clan, leading them away from the picnic tables and the brief glimpse he had gotten of his older brother. Gabe moved to follow the alpha, growling sharply as Ketch grabbed his arm and pulled him back, handing him off to Benny as his fellow guard led Gadreel back to his family. Ketch led the Demon Hunters away, Gabe whining in Benny's tight grip as he was prevented from spending more time with this tall alpha who had intrigued him so.

"Keep it in your pants, half-pint," Benny growled softly. "We just wanted to let him see his brother so we can keep talking to him about an alliance. If you jump him, you may ruin all of Cas's hard work."

"I haven't had sex in months . . . you could at least let me have a little fun."

"Nah, not gonna' happen, _cher._ Sorry."

Cas watched Benny pull Gabe away from Sam, narrowing his eyes as he reached over to tap Charlie's shoulder. "Double the guard on my room tonight, and have a talk with Alfie about keeping Gabriel in his own bed. I have a feeling that my brother will not easily accept a forced separation from his new crush."

Charlie nodded. "Got it, boss."

* * *

Samandriel pulled on his pajamas, something silky and incredibly colorful from an omega boutique in Chicago. He slipped into bed and purred softly as Gabriel joined him, bright eyes watching his brother carefully. "Cas told me to make sure you stay put tonight."

His older brother snorted from his cocoon of blankets on the other side of the bed. "Yeah, I figured he would do something like that. He ruins all my fun."

"If it was up to me, I'd let you fuck the boy, but this alliance is important to him, even more now that he knows about Sam and Dean."

Gabe sighed and burrowed deeper into his blankets. "I know, and I don't want to cause any trouble, really. But damn that Sam is hot."

Alfie shrugged. "If you say so. I'll try to catch a glimpse of him next time the gangs meet." He hadn't gone to the meeting that afternoon, but he had to admit that he was somewhat curious about the members of this other biker gang. He would try to find time to see them within the next few days.


	7. You Shook Me All Night Long

Chapter 7: You Shook Me All Night Long

* * *

Dean was uncharacteristically quiet as he and Cas got ready for bed, staring at the ground and refusing to make eye contact with the alpha, trying his best not to make any noise at all. Cas was used to him not speaking for hours at a time, but this was something new and strange. "Dean, is everything alright?" The omega nodded and crawled into bed, curling into a ball with his face buried in the pillows. Cas briefly considered calling Gabe into the room to see what was wrong with the green-eyed omega, but he was sure that the boy would be better in the morning.

Unfortunately, whatever was bothering Dean was not something that could be banished by a few good hours of sleep. Sometime after midnight, when the entire hotel had finally gone to bed and the only people still awake were the four guards watching Cas's suite, Dean awoke with a start and a strangled cry, leaping out of bed and jerking the alpha into consciousness. The omega dove into the corner of the room, burying himself in the heavy curtains and whining in that high-pitched, broken tone that indicated extreme distress.

"Dean?!" The omega didn't answer, his whining getting worse as Cas's scent gained bitter tones of distress to match Dean's. As soon as he realized that his presence was upsetting his charge, Cas backed away to the door, opening it a crack and leaning into the main room. "Gabe!"

"Ugh, what now?" Gabriel emerged from his room, dressed in his traditional sleeping attire of a pair of bright purple shorts, Alfie in his designer silks just behind him. They slipped past Cas and caught Dean's bitter scent fouling the air, Gabe glancing down at his brother and sighing. "Go sleep in our room tonight, Cas. You can't be in here right now."

"What? But Dean's upset—"

"And you can't help him," Alfie replied softly. "This is an omega thing, okay?"

Reluctantly, constantly looking back at the dark lump hidden under the curtains in the corner, Cas slunk out of the room, closing the door behind him and heading for Gabe's room. He wasn't happy about it, but he would do whatever was best for Dean and he knew that his brothers cared about the boy.

Gabe walked over to the window and sat down a couple of feet from Dean, glancing at the curtains he had wrapped himself in. Alfie grabbed a blanket from the bed and sat beside his brother, draping the warm material over both of their shoulders. They sat there for fifteen or so minutes, both of them purring softly and letting calm, peaceful scents fill the air. Both of them had worked with abused omegas before, and they recognized Dean's symptoms even if they couldn't yet identify the cause.

Finally, after almost half an hour of bathing in the Novak omegas' calm scent, Dean's whining subsided and he shifted slightly behind his concealing curtains. Taking that as an indicator that the young omega was ready to listen, Gabe yawned and stretched widely, exaggerating the motion to make sure it could be seen through the curtains. "Man, Alfie, I'm so stressed out after today. I was hoping for a good lay to calm me down, but Benny scuttled that plan."

"You know, I learned this exercise that helps calm me down," Alfie replied, already knowing what his brother was planning.

"Oh yeah? Can you show me?" Gabe ignored the face peeking around the edge of the curtain as he dropped his blanket, scooting away from the window so he had some space.

"Yeah. I just kneel like this and flatten myself against my legs, kinda like this." Alfie bent over in what could best be described as an exaggerated bowing position, stretching his arms in front of him as he rested his forehead on the floor. "It stretches out my back, lets my organs move around, and releases endorphins. It feels great, actually."

"Hmm, looks complicated. Let me give it a try." Gabe moved to sit with his legs folded under his butt, leaning down to press his forehead against the floor as he stretched out his arms and wiggled his fingers. "Damn, this is one of those hippie yoga things you do, isn't it?" He could see Dean peeking around the curtains out of the corner of his eye, but he knew that it was too soon to acknowledge him.

"Yoga is good for the body and mind," Alfie replied easily, clearly an argument that he and Gabe had been through before. "I can't help you with your overactive sex drive or your unhealthy addition to sweets, but I can at least give your body some relief from the pressures your mind is putting on it."

Still pressed up against the wall, Dean moved to fold his legs under his body, leaning forward and placing his head on the floor. He didn't have quite as much room to stretch out his arms as the other omegas did, so he bent his elbows slightly and stretched as far as he could. As soon as the last bitter notes of anxiety faded from his apple pie scent, Gabe turned his head slightly to make eye contact with the boy. "You know, Dean, you sounded pretty stressed out earlier. Is this helping you as much as it helped me?"

Dean nodded, a jerky motion with his face pressed to the floor, but his eyes were clear as he met Gabe's gaze. "I think so," he whispered.

"You can't have been upset for the same reason as Gabe here," Alfie commented casually, moving into another one of his yoga poses, one with his ass in the air and all four limbs straight, holding his body above the floor. Groaning in resignation, Gabe moved to copy him, watching as Dean followed suit. "I mean, if you want sex, Cassie is probably willing and I know you're attracted to him."

Dean blushed and shook his head, struggling to hold the new pose as blood rushed to his face. "Not that. It was . . . something else."

"Oh yeah? You must have dreamed about something big, I'll bet, to scare you awake like that." Alfie dropped his butt to the floor and raised his head toward the ceiling, legs stretched out behind him, doing one of those dog poses if Gabe remembered correctly. His impromptu students echoed his stance, though Dean had to bend his knees against the wall to have room.

"It was . . . yeah. My dad."

Alfie dropped his last pose and moved into a sitting position, scooting back against the big bed in the center of the room as Gabe leaned against the windows. "He didn't treat you very well after your scent started to come in, huh?"

"No," Dean admitted, rubbing his wrists absently. "Mom died . . . I watched after my baby brother." Sometimes he found it easier to talk when Cas wasn't around; he knew that he could trust the alpha, but years flinching from his master's scent was still affecting him. He tried, but even Charlie evoked that reaction. With just Gabe and Alfie in the room, Dean could manage longer sentences and didn't tire as quickly. "I failed . . . I turned into an omega. Should have been an alpha. He punished me for that. I wasn't good for anything anymore, just . . . he could sell me, pay for things for my brother. I was glad . . . leaving helped take care of him. I didn't do a good job; I should have been an alpha."

"It's not a failing to be an omega," Alfie argued. "My parents weren't disappointed when Gabe presented, or when I did. Your dad didn't have to sell you off, and he should have supported both of his sons after his mate died. Tasking you to watch a baby . . . I bet you were just a tiny pup yourself. I don't think Azazel was the only source of trauma in your life. I'm sorry your dad was so cruel to you, but why were you thinking about him today?"

"That alpha in the park," Dean whispered. "Something about him . . . I guess . . . I just . . . it reminded me of my dad."

"Your dad is dead, Dean," Gabe replied, shrugging when Dean's head shot up at that. "I'm guessing you didn't know, but Cas had us look into it after you came to live with us, mostly for legal reasons. He died years ago, kiddo, and he can't come after you anymore. We found out today that he got into a dumb fight with some alpha bikers and lost. I know that it won't stop your nightmares, but you don't have to worry."

Something seemed to shift in the young omega, some part of his soul relaxing and releasing an old, painful wound that it had carried for the last decade. "H-he's gone?"

"Yeah."

Dean yawned and glanced up at the bed, his body finally catching onto the fact that there was nothing to worry about and he was safe. Gabe and Alfie stood, helping Dean to his feet and settling him into bed, tucking the covers around him. "Is Cas coming back?"

"Actually, I thought Alfie and I would stay with you. Cas looked pretty beat when I sent him to the other room, and I'm sure he's already out cold. Do you mind?"

Dean shook his head and scooted into the middle of the bed, waiting for the two omegas to join him before closing his eyes. He was asleep almost instantly, his companions following him shortly thereafter. Gabe hoped he would remember to tell Cas in the morning that Dean had finally mentioned his brother.

* * *

Alfie, who had been minorly uncomfortable all night with the big omega curled against his back, woke before dawn, slipping out of bed and stretching his sore muscles. He didn't mind sleeping with Gabe, and last night he knew that it was the right decision to stay with Dean, but the young omega yearned for a bedmate of his own that he wasn't related to by blood. Gabe liked to tease him; at eighteen, he was hardly the normal omega age for courting, but Alfie knew that he was ready to start looking around for a partner of his own. Hopefully a big male alpha.

Slipping back into his normal room quietly enough not to wake his peacefully sleeping brother, Alfie stripped out of his pajamas and used the faint light bleeding in from the hallway to dress in something more appropriate: a pale blue patterned kilt, tall socks tied at the top in the traditional Scottish fashion, and tall white cowboy boots embroidered in silver and discretely set with light blue rhinestones. He dug through his shirts in the semi-darkness, finally settling on a backless blue halter top with white flowers and more rhinestones, one of his favorite embellishments. Cas had bought him that top in San Francisco at one of his favorite male omega boutiques, along with the matching lacy arm warmers with tiny clear beads decorating the top that he carefully pulled up his arms. He loved the way they enhanced his full sleeve tattoos without hiding anything. Running fingers roughly though his brown hair, Alfie tucked his key card and cell phone into the lightly tooled leather sporran hanging in front of his kilt, having chosen an ivory color for the accessory to match the pastels he preferred. Deciding that he was ready for breakfast, the omega headed out the door.

The guards that morning, Hannah and Ezekiel, looked up from their video game as Alfie entered the living room, nodding at the colorful omega as he left for breakfast. Ephraim and Tamiel, a mated pair, waited on the bench in the hallway, the female beta reading the morning paper while the alpha watched something on his phone. The guards each worked four-hour shifts, though Cas only asked them to protect the room when they were traveling and staying in hotels. At his own home, he wouldn't require anything like that from them. "Hungry, Alf?"

"Alfie, please, Tamiel, or just Samandriel." He was somewhat related to the woman, though neither of them could ever remember how, and she loved to tease him.

"I'll walk you down to breakfast, Samandriel," Ephraim offered, tucking his phone in his pocket as he stood. "Tam, I doubt anyone else will wake and want to eat before we're done, so I can bring you something back if you want." If anyone else did emerge from the boss's room, Tamiel would escort them to the first floor for a meal.

"Just some coffee, if you don't mind."

"Black like her soul," Alfie chimed in, grinning as the beta smacked him with her folded paper.

Ephraim rolled his eyes. "Coffee it is. Come on, troublemaker."

Breakfast at the hotel started at six o'clock every day of the week, which was unusual in most small towns the Novak brothers had visited. Alfie appreciated the chance to get an early start, always showing up the minute that the food was laid out. He grabbed a few mini muffins, made a couple slices of rye toast with jelly, and headed for the omelet bar, ordering his with broccoli, bell peppers, jalapeños, ham, bacon, and three kinds of cheese. When the cook handed it over, Alfie was surprised to hear a throat clear beside him, turning to meet the pale blue eyes of his companion. He was used to having the breakfast buffet to himself, not counting Ephraim who was munching on a donut and pouring himself some coffee halfway across the room.

This early-rising alpha was tall, easily over six feet, but incredibly young for his size. Alfie guessed that he was only sixteen or so with a few years of growing left to fill in that big frame, his blue spruce scent carrying an almost citrus undertone. Maybe bergamot. The alpha ordered an omelet that was exclusively filled with meat, Alfie tilting his head curiously at the teen. "I am unused to meeting other guests here at this abnormally early hour of the day."

The alpha snorted and ran a hand over his face. "I had to share a bed with my brother last night. Don't get me wrong, he's family and all, but I could really use my own space. I'm planning to ask him for my own room, or at least my own bed, for the duration of our stay. Then I can sleep in like other civilized people. I think the front desk said they would have a two-room suite open up by the end of the week, so we might be able to take that one."

Alfie nodded. "I understand your frustration. I have spent the last few days sharing a bed with one brother and a suite with the other, and I'm just about ready to sleep in a tree to get some space of my own."

"Sometimes being the baby has its problems," Alfie's new companion replied, taking his omelet and turning toward the tables, waving a hand for the omega to follow him. They took a seat near the windows, both of them grabbing some orange juice before settling into their meals. "I'm Adam, by the way. I guess it's rude not to introduce myself."

"I'm Samandriel, but I often go by Alfie," the omega replied.

"I like your shirt, and your kilt. Where I come from, hours north of here, it's generally not warm enough to wear something like that."

"I try not to let the weather dictate my state of dress, but I'm recently from Chicago myself. I'm really enjoying this weather."

"Ha, no kidding? Chicago, huh? What's a big city boy with an absolutely amazing wing tattoo doing in the middle of nowhere, Kansas?"

Alfie reached over his shoulder and touched the edge of his peregrine falcon wings at the brief mention of them. He had forgotten that his halter-top showed it off so well; he just hadn't been in the mood for heavy clothing that morning. "My brother took in a young omega, one who can't be more than four or five years older than you, and he felt that he could use some help with the boy. My older omega brother spends most of his time acting like an alpha, though he still reacts to most situations as an omega should. I think it's good for the boy to see an omega who likes to dress and be seen as one in public, so he can choose his own path going forward."

"What's the omega like?"

Alfie shrugged. "He's just tall, broad, and looks as much like an alpha as you. If you didn't catch his scent, you would probably mistake him for one."

"So you want him to see that an omega can dress in silks and bright colors and still have a solid, safe place in society? That's very noble."

Alfie smiled and poked at his breakfast. He kinda liked this alpha; he tended to prefer males that were tall enough to dwarf his 5'8" frame, though he had never thought about letting a younger man have a chance at courting him. This Adam was kinda cute, especially with those blue eyes. "I don't think of myself as noble. I care about him, and I want him to have a better life than he's lived since his presentation."

"That's still kind, even if you won't take noble."

Alfie and Adam turned to lighter topics, mostly exchanging stories about their childhoods as the youngest pups in their families, until the clamor of other guests interrupted them. Ephraim had joined them at some point, though he ate his meager breakfast in silence and read the news on his phone. He tended to always be an unobtrusive presence, perfect for a guard in a busy hotel. A loud crash caught their attention, both of them turning to see an unnaturally tall brunet alpha struggling to pick up a cup of metal forks he had knocked over, apologizing profusely to the hotel staff member who rushed to help him. The hazel-eyed alpha, though clumsy, had an air of authority about him, and his smoky sandalwood scent carried the most dominant notes of the alphas who had entered with him. There was also a hint of familiarity, and Alfie sniffed again to see if he could place the aroma.

"You probably recognize the family thread in our scents," Adam offered. "That's my older half-brother from our alpha sire's side." Multiple alpha pups who shared an alpha sire tended to be easy to identify by scent, but Alfie's overly sensitive nose could detect something else.

Adam's brother grabbed some fruit from the buffet, sighing at the limited selection as he placed a blueberry muffin on his plate. He was clearly a healthier eater than Adam, even at a hotel with the usual lineup of gluten-heavy breakfast items. He nodded at Ephraim and settled into the seat beside Adam, smiling cautiously at Alfie. "Hi, I'm Sam."

Alfie nodded, reaching out his hand to the alpha in a traditional greeting before the name sunk in. "Sam? As in, 'Leader of the Demon Hunters' Sam?"

"Uh, yeah, that's me."

"You're that alpha that Gabe's been raving about all night. You're Dean's brother."

Adam put the pieces together faster than Alfie thought he would, scent sharpening with the icy scent of shock as he leaned back from the table. "Dean is the omega. That's the family scent you recognized. You're Castiel's youngest brother."

Alfie sighed and dropped his head, hyper aware of Ephraim's sudden alertness. "Alphas don't live and die by scent like omegas do. For us, family is everything, so we are preternaturally aware of the connections between those around us. Gabe doesn't care as much, since he refuses to let his omega status dictate his life, but he would have noticed the scent that you two share with Dean if he hadn't been so distracted by the prospect of a big alpha male with a big knot for him to ride." Sam blushed at that, breaking the tension at the table with his honest response to the memory of Gabe's incessant flirting. "My nose is more sensitive, and I can tell, now that I am focused on it, that he is your brother. Does Cas know?"

Sam nodded jerkily. "Yeah, he let us see Dean, and I knew right away. He looks a bit like the pictures of Mom that I still have."

"Why didn't Cas let you speak to him? He had a . . . well, I think he misses you." Alfie pulled back from going into detail about Dean's breakdown the night before, realizing that seeing Sam, even for a moment, had been enough to remind him of his abusive father.

Sam nibbled on his muffin as he considered his response. "Cas is worried about his mental state. He didn't say, specifically, but I gather that Dean's life with Azazel was difficult."

"It was, in more ways than one."

"He seemed . . . frightened of us. Of me. Ketch and Benny shooed us off quickly after we made eye contact. After that . . . I think Cas is right. Dean isn't ready to meet me right now."

Alfie nodded in agreement. "He isn't, Sam, I'm sorry. He will be; we'll make sure of that, and I think that he could see you casually, from time to time, at a distance until then. I think he could become accustomed to your face, to your scent, to your existence, and that will make it easier when he is finally ready to know your name."

Sam's silence was Alfie's answer; he did not have a better plan. Ephraim cleared his throat as the silence lengthened, placing his empty coffee cup on the table. "If you were escorted away by Ketch, he certainly recommended a hotel for you." The implied _and not this one_ hung in the air.

"He did, yes, but they didn't have enough rooms open for all of my people. There's some sort of convention starting next week and they're booked up. I didn't know how long we would stay, so I asked Gadreel to find a hotel that didn't have those kind of obligations. He recommended this one, so here we are. We didn't know you were here, I swear."

Ephraim nodded and moved to stand, knowing that Alfie was done eating and that it was nearly time for the rest of the gang to start shuffling downstairs. "I would recommend that you not let Gabriel know that you are here. He'd tear down the doors with his teeth to get to an alpha he fancies. I know him."

Sam shook his head. "I'm not going to hunt him down. I'm not interested in starting a fight with another head alpha over an omega. I think Castiel should be told, however."

"I will take care of it. Good day, Sam Winchester." Ephraim touched Alfie's arm and nudged the omega toward the elevators, having a vested interest in getting the youngest Novak back to his brothers, even without Tamiel's coffee. Alfie glanced over his shoulder as they reached the doorway, his eyes meeting Adam's as the alpha raised his hands and made a pantomime of wings, smiling sweetly at the departing omega. Alfie was very much looking forward to seeing the youngest Winchester brother again as soon as possible.

* * *

"They're here? In this hotel? Ugh, like I needed another complication in my life." Castiel ran his hand across his face and leaned back against the headboard of his bed, one that had been oddly cold and lonely without his young omega charge. He hadn't even had a chance to speak with Gabriel to see how Dean was doing before Ephraim barged into his borrowed room.

"Hannah is going to speak with Sam when she goes down for breakfast and try to arrange a schedule. He already wakes before dawn like Samandriel, so it shouldn't be too much trouble for them to be cleared out before Gabe and Dean would wander down for a meal. She'll be our liaison with them, in conjunction with Rachel who has had a good rapport with Gadreel. We will know their schedule and they will know ours, to prevent a chance meeting between your brother and the object of his lust."

Cas snorted. "If Gabe catches a whiff of his scent, four guards at the door will hardly be enough to keep him contained." He glanced at the overly bright alarm clock on the bedside table. "You managed a lot before eight in the morning."

"It's my job, sir."

"You do it well, my friend. I'm going to get Gabe and Dean out of bed, so check and see if the buffet is free." Ephraim nodded and left, an excited omega bounding into the room before the door had time to close. Dean, his jade eyes clear of whatever pain had terrified him the night before, jumped into Cas's bed, hugging the alpha around the covers and purring in his broken, stuttering way. Eventually he would fully regain the ability to express his contentment in that uniquely omega way, but for now he sounded a bit like a struggling engine.

"Good morning, Dean," Cas greeted, wrapping one arm around the boy. "Are you feeling better this morning? You scared me last night, maybe as much as you scared yourself."

"Alfie and Gabe helped. Missed you."

"I missed you, too," Cas whispered. He ran his hand down Dean's back, hoping that the action could convey how much he cared for the omega. Sam's arrival had created an uncertain future; Cas had planned to get Dean on his feet, give him the ability to be independent, but he hadn't planned to give him back to his birth family. When he had the choice, when he was healed enough to make it, would Dean choose Sam over Cas? The alpha found that he wasn't ready to contemplate that future. "Are you ready for breakfast? I just sent Ephraim to gather everyone so we can go downstairs to eat."

"I am. Gabe is asleep still."

Cas snorted. "Of course he is. Let's go wake him, shall we?" Cas pushed his blankets to the side and slid out of bed, freezing at the omega's gasp and soft, needy growl. He had forgotten that he had returned to his normal sleeping attire of _birthday suit_ without Dean by his side the night before, so he was still naked now, with the omega staring at his crotch. He was a healthy, virile alpha male, so the attention and the growing thread of arousal in Dean's sweet scent caused an inevitable excitement, his knot starting to darken as his dick swelled.

Not willing to let his instincts overwhelm his good sense, Cas reached out and cupped Dean's chin in his hand, forcing the omega to meet his eyes. Omega gold sparkled back at him, but the longer he held the alpha's gaze, the more green shone through. As soon as Dean had himself under control and Cas's alpha realized that nothing of a sexual nature was likely to happen, the raven-haired man smiled gently. "I forgot, Dean, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you think that I was pressuring you in any way."

"Want it."

"I know you do. And if you still want it after you're healed, I won't deny you. But, for now, I think it's best we both remain celibate."

Dean swallowed and nodded, standing from the bed and waiting patiently while Cas slipped into his pajama pants. They left the room together, headed for the other bedroom and a lazy, sleeping blond omega. Cas rested a hand on Dean's lower back as he pushed the door open, steering the boy toward the bed as he jerked the covers off of his brother's prone form.

Gabe groaned and turned his head, waving angrily at his brother. "Cassie, what the hell? Give a man a few minutes of rest."

"It's after eight, Gabriel. Time for breakfast."

The omega considered that for a long moment before pushing himself up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Yeah, alright. Alfie's already eaten, I suppose."

"Of course he has."

"Fine. Let me go to my room and get dressed." He pointed at Cas's sleep pants and Dean's pajamas, grumbling somewhat under his breath. "You two need to do the same. Dean-o here had a rough night of it, could use a quick shower to perk him up."

Dean grinned at that; he had been feeling a bit stretched out and a shower was probably exactly what he needed. Without another word, he dashed for the bathroom, completely forgetting to grab a change of clothes on the way. Cas watched him go and sighed, shaking his head as he walked over to his dresser. "Do remember that the boy is spontaneous, would you? He can't remember to wait and think before forging ahead, so he needs us to remind him to pause."

"And breathe," Gabe added, straightening the blankets before heading to his room. "I'll be done in ten and we'll head down together."

When Dean finished his quick shower and everyone was dressed, Ephraim and Tamiel led the three of them down to breakfast. Castiel noted that Sam and his gang were gone from the room, and any hint of their scents were covered by the smell of food and coffee. He caught Ephraim's eye and nodded, approving of the alpha's plan to keep the Demon Hunters out of his brother's eyesight. Content that there wouldn't be any issues that day, the biker settled into breakfast.

* * *

Morning dawned slowly in the opulent townhome halfway across town, heavy curtains blocking most of it from reaching the king-sized bed and the two men twisted in the red satin sheets on top of it. The blanket itself had been thrown off at some point, leaving them covered only in a thin sheet, but the lean alpha produced enough body heat to keep both of them comfortable. The omega, who had not had a bedmate in years and certainly never at his own home, ran his fingers through Balthazar's blond hair in a slow, soothing motion, knowing that he had let the man move too fast but not finding it in himself to care. "What have you done to me?"

"Nothing you didn't like," Balthazar mumbled back, nuzzling against Crowley's chest. "But if you want an eighth round, you'll have to give me a little time. I think you wore my knot out."

Crowley chuckled and stretched under the blanket, wincing as his own abused ass screamed a protest. "Same, love. I haven't fucked like that since my last heat . . . maybe not even then. If you're still around this fall when it comes again, I wouldn't mind your assistance."

Balthazar raised his head, blue eyes bright in the morning sunlight. "I intend to be around, for your heat and anything else you'll allow me. You intrigue me, Crowley, and I want to earn the opportunity to unravel all of your mysteries."

"I must say, my athletic young paramour, that I have never known anyone I was willing to let have such a chance. I've always hated the idea of alphas . . . my sire was one and he abandoned my mother just days after I presented. He didn't want . . . 'some sissy omega son' as he put it. I resolved to prove myself strong, independent, and a better man than he could ever be. He died some years ago, a raging alcoholic, and I won agent of the year three years straight. I have done what I wanted, I was one of the first independently wealthy omegas in Kansas, and I earned a right to live without an alpha before the laws technically allowed it. I have used my name and position to fight for omega rights, and I have largely been successful locally, but I have never truly been happy."

"Have you dated much, Crowley, or have you sacrificed the desires of your heart to tend to the needs of abused boys like Dean?"

"The latter, I am afraid," Crowley admitted, running his fingers down Balthazar's back, tracing the sunlight as it played against the rainbow wings tattooed there. "I've had a few trysts, but I have kept my heart out of my affairs. Until now."

The biker smiled and spread his hand against Crowley's chest, feeling the strength hidden there and the heart beating steadily beneath his palm. "Why do you like me? I'm rough, I've been in thousands of fights, I've killed those who threatened me and my family, and I rarely get along with anyone other than Cas. Even Gabe rubs me wrong most of the time, and I've grown up with them. What can you see in me?"

"You have a charm about you, Balthazar. Your men follow you without question, and Castiel trusts you implicitly. You have shown that you have a gentleness in your soul through your caring about that broken young omega your cousin saved from his hell of a life. You speak about your sister and her coming pup with sarcastic disdain, but I can tell that you will love the mite no matter its gender or designation. You aren't my father, you aren't what I feared all alpha males must be, and you are one hell of a good fuck."

Balthazar chuckled at that, his soft dick attempting without luck to perk up at the insinuation in the words and his partner's chamomile and lemon scent. "God, Crowley, I do so wish I could answer your challenge right now. I grew up not knowing many omegas; there are none in my family and I rarely saw my cousin Cas until we were teens. My dad rode with the gang, said that is what alphas do, and that we have to find a good omega to endure the roads with us, to make the nights bearable. My mother was a beta, and she hated that he saw omegas that way, so I hated it, too. Anna won't talk about him, but he died in an accident just a month before Cas took over the gang. I joined up with him; we barely knew each other at the time but I thought it was what an alpha should do. I had some knowledge at the time of ancient weapons and artifacts, and we started up a small antiquities firm in Chicago. That was where I met Gabe."

Crowley smiled at the thought of the blonde Novak putting his taller cousin in his place. "That must have been something."

"He was nothing like the omegas my dad described. Our mothers are siblings, and it was clear why my dad's archaic views always distressed her. Gabe was strong, vibrant, and very much as independent as any alpha I had known. He spoke and dressed like an alpha, never allowing anyone to make an issue about his designation. It would be years before I spent any time with their youngest brother, my youngest cousin, Samandriel, and he was the exact opposite. He is colorful, a brilliant flower who wants everyone to know he's an omega, and he doesn't care what they think about him. Since then, I've wanted to find an omega partner who was somehow a mix of both of them. Don't be upset if I say that you remind me of the best of both of my cousins, with an added pleasant countenance and an ass I very much enjoy riding."

Crowley chuckled. "Yes, I well remember your fondness. When do you have to leave today? I doubt we have time to recover enough for another round."

"I have to attend Cas at noon, at the pizza place that Dean liked so much. He's thinking about arranging another casual meeting with the Demon Hunters, and he won't do it without me there. I was shooting blanks by the end and my knot was barely swelling enough to catch, so I know that I can't recover in time to mount you again by then."

"Pity."

"But . . . you don't have that problem. And my ass isn't sore."

Crowley's scent sharpened instantly, his cock perking under the thin sheet restraining it. The alpha grinned and helpfully pushed the sheet down. "Are you suggesting what I think you are suggesting? I've never had an alpha offer his ass to me."

Balthazar pushed himself into a sitting position and reached out to wrap gentle fingers around his partner's growing erection, more slender than his though longer than he would have expected from an omega, and lacking the elastic dark skin around the base that would swell into a knot in an aroused alpha. "I can't produce my own slick, but I bet a creative omega like you has some lube lying around."

Crowley wrapped an arm around Balthazar's waist and surged forward, growling as his eyes flashed gold and he caught the alpha in a violent kiss. "Bend over."


	8. Thunderstruck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just hoping that I don't run out of AC/DC songs before I run out of chapters.

Chapter 8: Thunderstruck

* * *

"So we're supposed to casually stroll into the pizza place your people have chosen for lunch and attempt to make as little contact as possible?"

Benny shrugged casually, not sure how he had let Ephraim talk him into taking over his liaison responsibilities with the Demon Hunters, but he had agreed. Gadreel, standing calmly with his cousin, nudged the young alpha. "It's a good idea. It will let Dean get used to your face and maybe your scent before he is introduced to you for real."

Sam sighed and ran his hand through his hair in his most common nervous gesture. "I guess, if you think it's best. I just . . . after seeing his reaction to us, to me, yesterday . . . isn't it too soon? I don't mind waiting, if it's healthier for Dean."

"Cas wouldn't recommend this if he thought it would hurt the boy," Benny assured the younger biker. "It's just lunch, and I'm sure your boys will be hungry in a couple of hours. If I might, _cher_, I would recommend a nice pizza place not far from the hotel. The price there is good when you're feeding a hungry gang, and I know that you haven't been in town long enough to find the best lunch spots."

Gadreel smiled at Benny's offer, holding out his arm to the Cajun. "He'll think it over, my friend. Come, I will show you out."

Benny tipped his hat to Sam, who wandered back to sit with Adam on the couch and discuss the offer, following Gadreel to the door and smiling at the tall omega. They had opted to meet in the suite Kevin and Garth shared, hoping that it would prevent any of Sam's scent from sticking to Benny's clothes and warning Gabe that the object of his affection was close by. "Ephraim and Hannah think that I should take over communications with your clan, if that's agreeable to you. I know that you speak with Rachel, as well, and she will assist me."

"In keeping track of us?"

Benny chuckled as they moved into the hallway of the hotel. "Something like that. I don't mind telling you that Cas is somewhat terrified of what will happen when Gabe realizes that you are all staying here, within scent distance of him."

Gadreel smiled. "You're three floors and a wing away from having to worry about that."

"Yeah, I know. Thank you for your help, Gadreel."

"Of course. I am looking forward to working more closely with you." He let his hand, which had been resting quietly on the alpha's arm, squeeze gently before slowly sliding off, possibly the subtlest invitation Benny had ever received. "It might be easier if you came to see me first next time, and I can explain the situation to my young cousins. I'm in room 109."

Benny's blue eyes darkened slightly as he grinned. "I'm in 111. How did you manage to get the room next to mine?"

"It was coincidence, of course. That happened to be one of the available rooms and the smallest, so I offered to take it and give the alphas the bigger ones. Just knock on the wall if you ever have any . . . other information to share."

"Of course. I hope to see you at lunch, Gadreel." The Cajun was fast beginning to see the benefits in an alliance with the Demon Hunters.

* * *

Balthazar howled as Crowley slammed into his prostate mercilessly, the alpha's overworked cock having managed a new erection after his fourth orgasm, the knot slowly swelling as his omega's hips started to stutter. "Crowley, I can't take much more," he whined, hands clenched white on the headboard as his thighs trembled with the strain of holding himself up.

Crowley chuckled and leaned down, resting his sweat-slick chest on Balthazar's back, kissing the edge of his right wing. "Almost there, love. You want to come one more time first?"

"That's about . . . all . . . I can manage," Balthazar huffed between thrusts, feeling that familiar heat curling in his belly again as precome dripped onto the sheets between his knees.

"Hold on then, sweetheart," Crowley whispered against his skin, sharp canines leaving welts in their wake. Balthazar's alpha took the gentle prick as an attempt at a mating bite, and he came with a howl, spurting what was left of his seed over the bed as Crowley's hands wrapped around his knot and expertly milked just a little more out. Crowley finally climaxed a moment later, filling Balthazar's ass and collapsing, dragging the alpha down with him in a tangle of limbs.

Balthazar didn't move for a long time, his ass clenching spasmodically as Crowley's softening dick slowly pulled free. "Wow," he finally managed, linking his fingers with the omega's. "I didn't know an alpha could come multiple times in a row, or without a full erection."

"Hmm, you learn something new every day," Crowley chuckled. "Now that I have thoroughly abused your ass, it's nearly time for you to go."

"Yeah, unfortunately. I would love nothing more than to stay with you and test the limits of our athleticism, but I have a duty to my family."

"I know you do, and I would never dream of asking you to choose me over them. Besides, I need some time to recover and I do have a showing at three." Balthazar rolled over and rested an arm across Crowley's hip, a silent request for the omega to cuddle closer. The Brit smiled and let his lover pull him close, resting his head on a tattooed chest. "I think I could get used to this."

"Yeah?"

"I might be willing to let you try it again, the date thing, and the part that comes after. Would you be amenable to that?"

Balthazar smiled, pulling Crowley closer for a quick kiss. "I think I might be."

Half an hour later, showered and smelling quite a lot less like he had spent the night having more sex than his cousins would easily believe, Balthazar slipped into the driver seat of Cas's truck, which he had borrowed the night before for his date. He was suddenly very grateful for that choice of vehicle the day before, not sure if his sore ass could have managed a ride on his bike just then. Pulling away from Crowley's townhome, he headed for the pizza place Benny had messaged him about, smiling as a text from Crowley scrolled across his screen.

_You have a gorgeous ass. Bring it back as soon as you can._

* * *

Cas led the small group into the pizza parlor, waiting for Dean and Gabe to settle in before sliding in next to his green-eyed charge while Alfie nudged Gabe over in the circular booth. They had taken a very small group today, only Benny with them as guard, as the rest of the gang were working on figuring out their criteria for homes in their new cities or shopping for furniture for Cas's new house. Anna had taken a particular delight in volunteering for that duty, dragging her reluctant mate along to offer "an alpha's perspective". Normally, Cas would have been happy to go with her, but he had a conference call with his east-coast brothers after lunch and had to bow out.

The waitress approached their table, smiling at the guests as she requested their drink orders. The table was large and round, the circular bench meant to seat up to eight, so they had a little room to spread out. When Balthazar arrived a few minutes later, he scooted into the empty area on Cas's other side, wincing as his ass hit the seat. Alfie, who truly did have an extraordinarily acute sense of smell, straightened as soon as Balthazar arrived, subtly sniffing the air in the alpha's direction. "So, your date went well?"

Balthazar cleared his throat to cover his blush, grabbing a menu and glaring at it. "It was good, yeah. Crowley has asked me if we could do it again, soon."

Cas grinned at his cousin and slapped him on the back. "Sounds like you found a good one. And from that wince, I'm guessing he was willing to buy into your little fantasy?"

Balthazar nodded, smiling gently to himself. "He, uh, was totally on top of that particular . . . request. I learned some things that I had never guessed before."

"Multiple alpha orgasms," Gabe and Alfie replied at the same time, both taking a quick sip of their drink as Dean's eyes widened. "It's a thing," Gabe continued, nodding toward his cousin. "I told Balth about it years ago, and he didn't believe me. I guess he needed a partner who could help him find out. Your ass must be so sore."

The alpha shifted uncomfortably and nodded. "Yeah, like you would not believe. I've never seen you like this after your heats."

"Omegas are meant to take that kind of punishment," Gabe replied sweetly. "You'll get better at it over time. I'm glad you found someone."

"Thanks, coz. He sorta already asked me to attend him during his next heat."

"Wow, really? That's great." Whatever else Gabe was going to say died in his throat as a group of men entered the back seating area, the waitress leading them to another large, circular table nearby. There were seven of them, all of whom he instantly recognized as the Demon Hunter bikers they had met with just the day before. Gabe felt a hand on his shoulder roughly push him back into his seat, and he tore his eyes away from Sam in an effort to calm his omega. "What are they doing here? I thought they found a hotel on the other side of town."

"Not many places to eat in town," Benny pointed out, "not for a big crew. Pizza is a pretty safe option no matter where you are. You've got it bad for that alpha, don't you, _cher_?"

Dean had spotted the tall alpha at the same time as Gabe, initially shrinking back behind Cas but slowly leaning forward as he convinced himself that there was no threat. "You like him?"

"Yeah, Dean-o, I'm pretty fond of the moose shaped one. My omega is, too. I've spent most of my life trying to push my instincts away, not let them rule me, but that alpha there brings them out in ways I didn't expect."

"He's eighteen, Gabe, and barely that. Surely you want someone older, more experienced?"

"Maybe _he_ wants someone older, Cas," Gabe countered, not missing Sam's sharp glance at their group before he returned his attention to his menu. A chance meeting, apparently, but Gabe knew he could work this to his advantage.

"Whether he does or not is unimportant," his brother replied, smiling at the waitress as she returned to the table. "Let's go ahead and order and leave the Demon Hunters to their meal."

They managed to do that for a while, each clan studiously ignoring the other, though the other patrons kept looking at the two large, leather-clad group of men and wondering what was going on in town to attract so many bikers. Sometime after Cas's group had finished eating, Sam stood up from his table and headed to the bathroom, one of his alphas on his heels. Kevin, unless Cas missed his guess. Gabe twitched in his seat, as if to follow, and his brother snorted something that was definitely a negative. "You are not going to the bathroom at the same time as your new crush, Gabriel Novak."

"We don't even use the same bathroom," Gabe pointed out, golden eyes almost glowing in the florescent lights of the pizza parlor.

"True, but I feel like you might corner him as he exits, and I don't think he can take the shock of you jumping him again. If you need to go, Benny will escort you once the Demon Hunters return." The burly alpha nodded as he finished his pizza.

Sam and Kevin returned to their seats a few minutes later, Gabe slipping out of the booth and heading toward the back corner with his bearded bodyguard. Cas watched as the only omega in the Demon Hunter group stood from the table and headed in the same direction, but it didn't seem like he was following the Hells Angels so he ignored it.

Gabe waited patiently beside the omega/female beta bathroom, arms crossed over his chest as Benny encouraged him to be silent. Gadreel, responding to Benny's quick text, met them there, all of them shadowed in the alcove between the two bathrooms. "Benny, so nice to see you here. The pizza is as good as you promised."

Benny grinned and nodded, one hand resting on Gabe's arm, half for protection, but half a warning to the omega not to bolt. "Dean is doing well with Sam in the room; he's not hiding behind Cas anymore and he isn't nearly as scared as he was at the park."

"Sam's pretty much the same," Gadreel reported. "He is trying his best not to stare at Dean, but it is his brother and he's finding it difficult."

"I know a way we can distract him," Gabe purred, eyes glowing bright omega gold in the dim light of the bathroom hallway. Two women emerged from the omega bathroom, chatting about some upcoming concert, and the three bikers waited for them to leave the small hallway before resuming their conversation.

"I'm not sure your type of distraction would help, brother. He was terrified when you jumped in his lap at the meeting."

Benny chuckled at Gadreel's observation. "Maybe he just needs time to warm up to this little terror of an omega. Can you arrange a meeting in a quiet or neutral place, like a coffee shop or a library or something? A place where Sam can be sure that Gabe will behave himself."

Gadreel nodded. "This can be done. My cousin enjoys reading, so getting him to a library or bookstore is not difficult at all. A bookstore would be better, as many of them tend to have small coffee shops inside and you don't have to resort to whispering. Would this plan be amenable to you, Gabriel?"

"I mean, yeah, it sounds great. Can you arrange this without my brother finding out?"

Gadreel chuckled. "Of course. Benny, do you know of a bookstore nearby?"

"I will find one, _cher_. Now, we should all return to our tables before my boss comes looking for his wayward brother."

* * *

Gabe fiddled with his coffee cup, nervousness turning his scent bitter. He sighed and added more sugar to his cup, hoping that it would help soothe him and clear his scent; the other patrons of the bookstore coffee shop were glancing at him and inching away. No one liked the scent of unhappy omega or anything near it.

"Did you think I wouldn't come?"

Gabe looked up as the moose of the Demon Hunters plopped into the seat opposite him, grinning over his own decorated paper cup. "I, uh, a little, yeah."

"Your chaperone ensured that I knew where to find you. I'm kinda glad you asked me to come; I wanted a chance to talk to you without your overbearing younger brother involved."

"He's working right now, actually; Mike and Luci are trying to set up a new satellite office in Chicago now that we're staying here permanently. Cas took Dean on a road trip to meet with the team staying behind, to help them expand the business up north. I begged off; I said someone needs to stay and watch Alfie. Cas bought it."

Sam snorted. "Yeah, sure. Well, you aren't jumping into my lap so I guess this was truly a good location to meet."

"I still find you irresistible, Moose, but I can control myself enough in public. I wanted to talk, get to know you, and not just follow my instincts."

"I actually wanted to talk to you about those instincts. You like my scent a lot, and I like yours, too. Do you think it's True Mates? My dad never believed in that, but he was drunk most of my life and he was an asshole who sold my brother to the highest bidder. Bobby, well, he said that it would be silly not to believe in it, considering how many people claimed to have scent-bonded at first meeting. I think we did that."

Gabe nodded. "Yeah, I believe in True Mates. I think that maybe some people don't recognize the bond at first, but I've been looking for a partner for a long, long time. Ever since . . . well, ever since I lost my pregnancy years ago."

Sam reached out and took Gabe's hand in his, sympathy in his hazel eyes. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. The sire, were you dating them? Gadreel said you've been single for some time or I wouldn't have agreed to this."

"I wasn't dating her, no. She was a hell of a good time, but she just helped me with my heat, nothing else. She never knew. After that . . . I haven't spent my heat with anyone since, and I want the next time to be with someone special. I want a mate and a family, despite my carousing when I was younger and my promiscuous nature. When I caught your scent, I knew that you were the alpha I've been waiting for."

"I've never really had time to date; I dedicated my life to finding Dean, so anything else went by the wayside. I've had . . . partners for my ruts, but as I've only had two since my presentation, I can't say I've had a lot of experience. Gabe, you're at least a decade older than me; I'm a pup in comparison to you. What kind of partner do you expect me to be?"

"I'm not even thirty yet, so let's not worry about the age difference too much," Gabe countered. "And I'm not looking for an experienced sexual partner; I'm looking for a mate. Our scents are compatible, as you've seen, you're incredibly gorgeous, and you have the gentlest soul of anyone I've ever met. You, as an eight-year-old boy, vowed to find your brother no matter the cost, and that's the kind of man I want to make a family with. I know you're young, and I don't want to push anything on you, but I think that we belong together."

Sam stared at the scruffy omega for a long, long moment before reaching out to run his fingers through Gabe's blond hair. "I can't even grow a beard yet."

It wasn't the traditional acceptance of a courtship request, but it was a start. Gabe smiled and reached up to grab Sam's hand. "You're going to look so sexy when it comes in."

"And you plan to be around to see it?"

"Yeah, I do. That alright with you, Samshine?"

The alpha chuckled at the impromptu nickname. "Yeah, I guess it is."

* * *

"How was your coffee date with the Winchester alpha?"

"His name is Sam," Gabe replied sweetly, knowing that Benny was teasing him on purpose. "It went well, I think. He's agreed to a courtship. I don't think we should tell Cassie, though."

"I have no intention of mentioning this to your brother, _cher_; I value my life."

"You could do me a favor, you know."

Benny stiffened at that sly voice, turning to glare at the blond omega. "What favor?"

"Don't be like that," Gabriel scolded, sipping at his coffee. "I just thought you, as an alpha without Cassie breathing down his neck, might be able to find out where Sam is staying."

"Gabe, that's not a good idea. Coffee dates are fine, but stalking him in his hotel is just gonna' scare him off. Don't take that kind of risk, _cher_. Everything in its own time."

Gabe sighed and nodded. He had been having heats for a long time, and he knew that he had one coming up, probably within the next few weeks, and he wanted to spend it with Sam. For that to happen, though, he needed to get to know the alpha better so that Sam might agree to help him when it was time. "I wouldn't mind if you arranged another date for me."

"Consider it done."

* * *

Dean watched Gabe enter the hotel room, the faintest hint of sandalwood on his clothes. His omega friend had been smelling like that a lot lately; maybe he had a new friend? He had caught that scent in the lobby of the hotel and in the hallways from time to time, but he had no idea what alpha it belonged to. None of Cas's clan had that scent.

"Dean, I spoke with Charlie today." The omega looked up as Cas sat beside him at the table, a sheaf of papers in the alpha's hands. "She said that your placement tests are very good and she thinks she can help you get your GED without issue. Do you want that?"

"Yes, I do," Dean replied, happy that his voice was steady and quite a bit stronger than it had been just a week earlier.

"Okay, good; she has a study plan prepared for you, and Gilda is fetching the books. I have to meet with Crowley about the inspection, so you can go with me or stay here and study." Cas had learned that giving Dean a choice in his daily activities kept him calm; Azazel had never given Dean a choice in anything, so the omega treated each one as precious.

"Study," Dean replied. He glanced at Gabe, who had taken a seat on the couch, and frowned at the faint scent he could still detect from the omega. He wanted to ask him, but it would be easier if Cas wasn't around. This could be his opportunity.

Gilda arrived less than an hour later with Charlie, Arthur Ketch, and Mick Davies in tow. Cas greeted them before gathering his briefcase and grabbing his helmet. As soon as he was gone, Dean started watching Gabe closely, trying to decide when he could corner the other omega. If Alfie was around, he would have magically known what Dean was planning and helped, it seemed to be his gift, but he was at the local community college trying to see what his options might be to move the few credits he had from Illinois here to continue his education. He had already done some of his GRE classes and the basic ones that every degree in every college required, so he wanted to finish those up at the community college before applying to a local university for his Bachelor's.

Charlie sent Ketch and his mate out to Taco Bell to grab some lunch for everyone, only partially because Gilda was really in the mood for burritos. Gilda had confided to Dean the day before that Charlie was going to ask her mate for a pup the next time her heat hit, so she had started doing all of these "provide for the omega" things recently to prove that she would be a good sire. Gilda was inclined to say yes, and the laid-back, small-town feel of Lawrence certainly didn't hurt. She hadn't wanted to raise a child in Chicago.

Gabe finally excused himself from the group while they were waiting for lunch, heading to the balcony for some fresh air. Both bedrooms and the living room shared the same long balcony, one that looked out over downtown Lawrence. Four stories up, it wasn't that loud, though the hum of cars below did keep conversations from carrying to the nearby rooms. Dean followed his friend outside, leaning against the railing beside the wall that divided their balcony from the room on their left, green eyes watching as Gabe sunk into one of the small chairs.

"You've been watching me all morning."

"Your scent is changing. I smelled sandalwood."

Gabe nodded. "Yeah, I figured that's what it was. I've noticed it myself, actually. I've been seeing an alpha over the past few weeks, just coffee dates and sometimes lunch, but I think that we are scent-bonding."

"You like him?"

Gabe grinned, his scent swelling. "Yeah, I do. I'm not entirely sure that Cassie would approve, so I kinda meet him in secret."

Dean tilted his head, trying to parse Gabe's statement and extract the alpha's identity. "It's the leader of that other gang you met with, isn't it? Demon Hunters."

Gabe's shocked scent was enough of an answer. "Wow, you figured it out faster than I thought. Yeah, that's the guy. Cassie's sense of smell isn't as strong as an omega's, so he won't know unless we take it to the next step, and only you and Alfie are around me enough to detect this subtle of a change. I didn't want to tell you because of how you reacted the first time you saw him. I thought it might upset you." The two gangs had managed to see each other a few times over the past few weeks, mostly at meal times and once at Crowley's office when Gadreel and Garth showed up to ask the realtor about homes in the area for their clan. Dean hadn't reacted to the Head Alpha at all, and he hadn't had the nightmares again, so Gabe and Cas figured that it was working. Soon, hopefully very soon, they could introduce the boy to his brother.

"He doesn't scare me anymore," Dean replied, staring down at his hands. "I haven't had the dream about my dad again, either. I think . . . I think if you like him this much I want to try to meet him. I don't even think I know his name."

Gabe grinned, his scent sweetening happily. "I think I can arrange that, Dean-o. He wants to meet you, too; he's worried about how much he scared you that day in the park."

"It wasn't his fault that he reminded me of Dad. Can you arrange for us to meet? Cas rarely lets me out of his sight, but I think we could convince him that this would be good for me."

"Yeah," Gabe replied softly, "I think we can."

* * *

Samandriel was sound asleep by the time Gabe sauntered into their shared bedroom, freshly showered with hair that was very nearly dry. It was almost midnight, but he hadn't been able to sleep, not with that warm hum vibrating through his body. He knew what it was, of course; he had gone into heat dozens of times since his presentation at fourteen, but he really hadn't wanted it to happen in a hotel. He figured he would be alright tonight, but tomorrow he would have to kick his babiest brother out so he could deal with this on his own.

Hoping to calm himself enough to get some sleep, Gabe headed for the balcony doors and quietly slipped outside. Cas would lose his mind if he knew; Gabe's near-heat scent was certainly projecting for miles with this calm night, but the alphas set to guard them were in the hall, so no one was the wiser.

Gabe leaned against the balcony and took a deep breath, letting the cool night air fill his lungs and fight back against the warmth prickling under his skin. _Who invented this heat nonsense_, he wondered. _It's bad enough that I'm fucking horny with no knot to ride; why do I have to be overheating, too?_ He took a second breath and froze, sandalwood burning in the back of his throat as his eyes turned bright omega gold. Sam. Sam was somewhere nearby, close enough that he could scent him. Gabe knew, in some logical part of his brain, that his sense of smell was stronger now than normal, but the alpha couldn't be far away. Certainly, he wouldn't be able to scent anyone on the street below unless they were in rut, and there was no heady rut musk to this aroma. No, it seemed like he was much closer than that.

Gabe leaned out over the balcony, holding on tightly as he peeked around the dividing wall onto the balcony of the next room. He could just barely see into the far bedroom, his angle letting him glimpse the huge form passed out on the queen-sized bed. The door of that room was just barely cracked, probably to let in the cool night air, and Gabe knew without a shadow of a doubt that this was his moose. "Sam," he whispered, his omega screaming frantically for him to get to that alpha. Gabe considered his options, but he knew that he really only had once choice. Benny had never told him where the Demon Hunters were staying, but it had to be because the alpha knew that they were here, in the same hotel. If Benny knew, then Cas knew, so the guards in the hallway would have explicit instructions to keep Gabe in his own room. The only option, then, was to climb around the dividing wall and enter Sam's room from the balcony.

If he wasn't diving headfirst into heat and losing his mind with _need_, Gabe would never have considered doing what he did next. With the grace of an expert mountain climber, Gabe used the rough wall to pull himself onto the balcony, balancing carefully on bare feet as he pivoted around and stepped onto the top of Sam's balcony railing. One arm on either side of the wall, Gabe shifted over and gasped as he fell, losing his grip on the wall as he collapsed in an undignified heap next to the two chairs on Sam's balcony. The sound woke the sleeping alpha, and he jerked out of bed, pushing the door open and rubbing blurry eyes.

They froze for a long moment, gold eyes meeting hazel ones that were slowly turning red. Gabe was barely dressed in a pair of loose boxer shorts, ones that did nothing to hide the scent of his slick or the insistent weight of his erection. Sam, apparently, slept in the nude, and his cock was already jutting out toward Gabe's face, knot swelling at the base. "You're in heat," he finally managed, swallowing a couple of times to gain control of his voice.

"And you're here, right next door. How did I not know?"

Sam stepped forward and helped the omega to his feet, his self-control remarkable in an alpha his age. "Cas asked us not to tell you. I didn't know you were this close, though. You shouldn't have climbed that wall; you could have fallen and gotten yourself killed."

"Sam, I need you," Gabe whispered. "They would never have let me come. Please."

Sam ran his fingers through Gabe's hair, leaning down and taking a deep sniff, his eyes turning completely red. "I'm not old enough to partner an omega in heat, Gabe. I've only had a couple ruts myself and I'm not so good with my alpha yet."

"But you want me," the omega purred, moving close enough that his chest was pressed against Sam's. "I know that alphas normally stay clear of omegas in heat until they're in their early twenties, but I trust you. I know you can control yourself."

"How can you know that?" Sam rested his forehead on Gabe's shoulder, the hint of a growl in his voice. He could feel his alpha taking over as Gabe's scent strengthened, but the omega wasn't in full heat yet and Sam knew he could control himself until then. "How can you . . . trust me? Other than a handful of meetings, we barely know each other."

"We're True Mates, Sam. We belong together. You could never hurt me." Gabe slowly inched forward, forcing Sam to take a couple of steps back toward his room. "I know you want me. I can feel your need poking me in the stomach."

Sam chuckled, already warming to Gabe's request. "You're, uh, on birth control? I don't have any condoms; I didn't plan on this."

"I am. You . . . you don't want pups?"

"Gabe, I'm eighteen, and I devoted the last decade of my life to finding my brother. I want pups, yes, but not yet. I need to figure out my life now that I have succeeded in my only goal, but then I do want to start a family." Sam kissed Gabe's forehead, taking the next step backwards toward his room. "Don't be upset, it sours your scent."

"Sorry, just after . . . after Kali I knew that I wanted pups, but not until I'd found my mate. My True Mate. You. So, I'm willing to wait, but I'm not getting any younger."

"I'll help you through this heat, then we can talk, really talk, about our future. Okay?"

"As long as this plan involves me riding your knot in the next five minutes, I'm all in," Gabe purred, rutting urgently against Sam's leg. Chuckling, Sam swept the omega into his arms and headed back to his room, closing the door behind them. The last thing he needed was for the rest of the town to smell what they were about to get up to.


	9. Breaking the Rules

Chapter 9: Breaking the Rules

* * *

Alfie woke, as usual, before the sun, squinting at the alarm clock that the hotel so generously provided to every room. He had about fifteen minutes until they started breakfast, which should be enough time to get dressed. Slipping out of bed, Alfie shrugged out of his sleeping pants and grabbed a pair of yoga pants and a layered, split skirt similar to the one he had worn when he originally came to town. Another of his jeweled halter tops completed the look, and he had already slipped into his sandals before he realized that something was wrong.

The bed was empty.

Frowning, Alfie reached for the light, tilting his head at the missing, blanket-covered lump he was used to sharing his nights with. Gabe never woke this early, so perhaps he had never gone to sleep. The door that led to their balcony was cracked, letting in the night breeze, so there was no scent evidence of his brother, either. Alfie grabbed his key card and headed for the living room, confusion coloring his scent.

Benny was guarding the room that night, Balthazar half-asleep on the couch beside him. The lean alpha had been spending every spare minute with his new partner, so he often took naps at odd times. Benny noticed Alfie immediately, elbowing Balthazar as he pushed himself off the couch. "What's wrong, _cher_?"

"Did Gabe ever go to bed? He's not in the room."

Benny glanced at Balthazar, who yawned his answer. "Tamiel said he did, just before shift change. So that would have been nearly six hours ago."

"Was there anything wrong with him?"

Benny snorted. "Tam couldn't smell sickness if it punched her in the face. He seemed alright to me, if a bit moody yesterday."

Alfie, the first buzzing warning of _danger_ vibrating along his spine, headed for Cas's room, knowing that it was time to wake the Head Alpha. Predictably, the raven-haired Novak was sound asleep, his omega curled safely in his arms. Asleep, Dean carried none of his pain or fears, and he always ended up tucked as tightly against his alpha's chest as possible. "Cas."

Blue eyes flashed open in the semi-darkness of false dawn streaming through the glass doors. "Alfie? What time is it?"

"Not quite dawn. I, uh, couldn't find Gabe this morning."

And now Cas was awake. Offering a clinging Dean a brief apology, Cas hopped out of bed and slipped into jeans and a t-shirt before shoving his feet into the nearest pair of boots. "Benny, where is my brother?" There was a dangerous growl in the alpha's voice, one that his gang members instantly recognized. Cas was not a man to be crossed.

"I'm not sure, Chief. Tam said he took a shower and went to bed just before midnight, and we haven't seen him on our shift at all. He never left that room."

Cas stomped through the living area to his brothers' bedroom, looking around at the neat bed (knowing that it wouldn't be if Gabe had spent the night in it) and the cracked sliding door leading to the balcony. He headed outside, his brother and a sleepy ward on his heels, looking around for any sign of where Gabe might be. "Heat," Dean murmured, leaning close to the balcony and taking a deep sniff. "Can you smell it?"

Cas, who rarely put much stock in his sense of smell beyond detecting major emotional shifts in his dealings with other gangs, leaned next to Dean and sniffed at the wood of the balcony. Dean, who hadn't even bothered to put on a shirt, was right. There was a tell-tale cloying sweetness that heralded an omega's heat, but if Cas and Alfie hadn't detected it before then Gabe hadn't been fully in the throes of his fertile period yet the night before, though he certainly was now. But why would he have been out on the balcony?

A chill shot down Cas's spine as he realized _exactly_ what his brother had been up to. Touching the balcony where Gabe had left evidence of his scent, Cas leaned forward and looked at the room to their left, catching another hint of gardenia and cherry blossoms on the wall above his head, just about where someone would have to hold if they wanted to climb over to the next room. Stifling a growl, Cas spun around and thundered to the door, grabbing Benny's arm on the way. "Watch the omegas, Balth," he ordered, turning to the right and pounding on the door.

Every moment they waited for an answer fanned Cas's fury until his eyes were glowing red by the time the door creaked open. A sleepy teen stared back at them, blue eyes and sandy blonde hair too familiar, his scent sharpening in reaction to the anger facing him. "Castiel?"

"Adam, who else is in this room with you?"

"Uh, just my brother. It took forever for a two bedroom suite to open up, so we just moved in a couple of days ago. Why?"

Benny grabbed Cas's arm and squeezed slightly, urging his friend to calm his alpha. "Adam, is your brother in there?"

"I mean, he was last night. I'm a pretty deep sleeper; I wouldn't have heard if he left."

"Is my brother in there?"

Adam started, glancing over his shoulder almost instinctively. "What? No?"

A loud groan sounded from deeper inside the suite, followed by the shrill, unmistakable whine of an omega in heat. Growling, Cas shoved past Adam, Benny on his heels as he headed for the closed door of the left bedroom. He jerked the door open and stopped still at the sight that met his eyes. Sam, knot locked inside a panting Gabe, howled his fury at Cas, too consumed by the rut that his partner's heat had brought on to see anything but a rival. Gabe, however, recognized the danger of another alpha entering the room, turning halfway around and grabbing Sam's arm.

"He's not a threat, Moose. He's my brother, he isn't going to hurt me."

Slowly, glancing back and forth between Gabe and Cas, Sam gained some amount of control over his alpha, forcing the red in his eyes to retreat to a manageable level. Still locked inside his omega, Sam wrapped a blanket around them and settled them against the headboard, knees raised and arms wrapped protectively around Gabe, waiting for his partner to get as comfortable as possible while they were still joined together. He was very young to be attending an omega in heat, otherwise only a bonded mate could have snapped him into rut so quickly. Still, he had an impressive level of control for a boy his age. His voice, when he spoke, was heavy with that feral growl of an alpha barely in control of his rut. "Cas."

"Sam, what is my brother doing in your bed? We had an agreement."

"He climbed over the balcony last night, Cas. He came to me." Sam ran his fingers through Gabe's hair, somewhat tangled from their activities all night, making sure that his omega was calm and comfortable. "I didn't know you were next door, I swear. We've only been here in this suite a couple of days. I just couldn't handle sharing a bed with Adam anymore."

Benny placed a hand on Cas's chest, silently urging his leader to calm down. He knew that the only thing keeping Sam in control of his alpha was the lack of an actual challenger for his omega's affection, so they had to keep their distance. "Gabe and Sam have been visiting each other over the past few weeks, becoming acquainted, and possibly falling in love. It's only natural that he would seek Sam out as he went into heat."

"He climbed over a balcony."

"Because you put guards on the door," Gabe snapped, his eyes flashing gold. "He's my True Mate, Cas; we belong together. You have to stop trying to keep us apart."

"He's eighteen," Cas argued, staying just inside the door as he tried to ignore the heavy heat and rut scents in the room. Every instinct inside him demanded that he protect his older brother from this strange alpha, but he knew, logically, that he really couldn't order Gabe around. "He's too young to attend your heat."

"He won't hurt me," Gabe whispered, leaning back against Sam's chest and nuzzling the alpha. "We're True Mates, trust me. You have to leave me with him for this heat, then we can talk. We can all talk, even Dean. And I kinda need you to leave . . . when his knot deflates, my heat will rear its head again."

Cas scrunched his face in disgust and turned away, sighing as all of his anger finally faded away. "Gabe, you know I worry about you. What did you think I was going to do when I found you missing? I feared the worst."

"I'm sorry, but as soon as I caught his scent I was done for. I've never felt so overwhelmed during my heat before, and I wasn't prepared for it."

Benny pulled Cas through the door, using his strength to force his Head Alpha to leave his brother alone. As soon as they closed the door, a soft moan sounded from the men they had left behind, Adam coughing in embarrassment as he backed away from the door. He'd watched the entire exchange but was wise enough to stay out of it. "So, uh, I should find another room for a few days?"

Cas shook his head, running his fingers through his hair, making the sleep-tousled strands stick out in all directions. "No, you have to stay. Someone has to guard them, and Sam won't allow my alphas in your suite. He'll still see you as a threat, of course, but he knows that you'll defer to him as your leader and you wouldn't dare cross him to steal Gabe. I'll send Alfie in here to help care for the pair of them; Gabe has never seen him as a threat during his heats, and even a rutting alpha will tolerate a skinny young omega caretaker. I think your omega cousin would be a great help, too, but I wouldn't recommend him going into that bedroom. Gabe doesn't know him well and may attack."

Adam swallowed sharply, unable to keep his terror out of his scent. "Uh, okay? Is your brother usually so aggressive during his heats?"

"Gabe's aggressive in general," Benny answered, leaning into the hall to beckon Theo and Purah over, asking them to bring Alfie into the suite. "He's just worse in heat. Now that he has an alpha he wants to keep, he absolutely won't tolerate competition."

Alfie slipped into the room, his skirts fluttering behind him in a cloud of gossamer fabric as he sniffed deeply and glared at the closed door across the room. "So he found Sam."

"He climbed over the balcony," Cas scoffed, rolling his eyes. "How did I think I could ever stop him from finding that alpha?"

"There wasn't a chance," Alfie agreed, far too cheery this early in the morning. "I guess you want me to stay here and watch after the lovebirds?" Benny nodded, and Alfie shrugged. "Fine. I'm used to watching Gabe during his heats, anyway."

Cas tilted his head curiously. "Normally you'd be deep into pre-heat if Gabe hit his last night, but you aren't."

Alfie shook his head. "No, he's early. The, uh, chance to nab a delicious young alpha must have pushed him into heat prematurely. I won't cycle for another couple of months, probably. You'll want to keep Dean away from Gabe's scent, though; his body is still recovering from the abuses it endured and he's not ready to be forcefully pushed into heat like that."

"Yeah, alright. You're good to watch him, then?"

"Let me go grab breakfast and I'll come back up. I'll take Dean since he's already awake if you can keep the rest of Sam's gang busy for a while, and I'll send Purah back with some coffee."

"Fine, yes, go. You might as well bring back some fruit and muffins for your new charges."

A loud howl sounded from the back room and the gathered alphas winced away, Alfie grinning as he reached out to squeeze Adam's arm. "I bet you're louder when you're in rut."

"Trying to find out, sweet omega?" Adam purred back, freezing as Cas snapped his teeth.

"Look, I have to put up with your brother defiling mine in that next room, but I'm not terribly interested in the Winchester clan stealing any more of my family members."

Alfie rolled his eyes and offered his brother a brief hug. "Don't worry, brother; I wouldn't ever leave you. I'm not above bringing home a stray alpha, though, when he's a bit older."

Cas groaned as he returned to his room, freezing as he was greeted by an armful of whining omega. Dean, apparently, had been worried about the alpha when he stormed out of the suite, and he sniffed Cas's shirt curiously. "It's the same."

"What's the same?"

"Sandalwood," Dean clarified, pointing at the wall separating their room from Sam's. "Gabe smells like this now."

Cas rounded on Benny as Alfie pulled Dean away, intent on getting his fellow omega down to breakfast. "You didn't tell me they were scent bonding."

"I didn't know," Benny hissed back. "I don't go around sniffing your brother, Chief. Why didn't Samandriel notice with his vaunted nose?"

Cas sighed and watched the two omegas follow Balthazar into the hall, tilting his head slightly. "I hadn't noticed, but . . . Gabe's been avoiding Alfie a bit, even Dean to some extent. He knew that one of them would sniff him out."

"This isn't a bad thing, Chief," Benny offered, turning to the tiny coffeemaker in the suite and pouring some into a heavy paper cup for Cas. It was pretty terrible, but his alpha wasn't the most morning of persons and this had been a very hectic dawn. "Gabe hasn't been happy since he lost his pup, and you know it. If Sam can give him the future he's dreamed of, who are we to stand in the way?"

Cas blew across the top of his black coffee, glaring into those muddy depths. "He's the leader of another biker gang, Benny. Is he going to ride off back to South Dakota with my brother on the back of his bike? Are they going to start a family there, hours away? When . . . when would I ever be able to see him again?"

Benny clapped a hand on Cas's back, knowing that his boss needed some comfort. "Sam isn't going to take your brother away, just like he isn't going to take Dean away."

Cas's hand tightened on the flimsy cup, only Benny's presence keeping him from squeezing it to death and spilling coffee all over himself. "How can you know that? I mean, once we introduce Dean to Sam, how do we know he won't . . . just leave?"

"Cas, he wouldn't do that," Benny murmured. "The boy's devoted to you. He'll be happy to have his family back, sure, but he wouldn't leave you."

"I hope not."

* * *

"Is Gabe okay?"

Alfie nodded. "Of course he is. He's just in heat, and he's been through that a lot."

"You aren't."

"Uh, no, and you're thinking that I should be. Gabe's early; his heat was spurred by his new alpha partner. I don't think his scent will push me over the edge, but your cycle has been really unstable so it might affect you differently. Cas is going to watch over you while I take care of Gabe and his partner. Are you going to be alright with that?"

Dean nodded as he poked a piece of melon with his fork. He wasn't ever interested in fruits and vegetables, but he knew that it made Cas happy when he ate them. "Yes, I have my studies. Um, do you think Cas will be busy a lot while you are gone?"

"He has a couple of meetings with our brothers and he's finalizing everything on the house this week, but he'll have plenty of time for you."

"Okay."

* * *

Gabe twitched as Sam ran his fingers down the omega's spine, chuckling at his partner's attempt at a response. "I'd hate to have to face your brother and tell him that I broke you."

"You didn't, not quite," Gabe argued, struggling a couple of time to roll over but giving up. "I have to admit, you've got more stamina than I would expect from someone your age."

Sam stretched out in the bed, reaching over to roll Gabe over and pull him onto his chest. "I need to open that door and get some air in here."

"If you want the whole town to smell us, anyway," Gabe grumbled, snuggling closer to his alpha. "How is your rut?"

Sam shrugged, the faintest ring of red around his eyes. "It comes and goes. It's not like I've had many before to learn to control them. I'm still surprised I can remain sane when your heat flares up. Maybe you're right about this True Mates thing."

Gabe chuckled, groaning theatrically when his stomach growled a protest. "Ugh, what's with this hunger? Heat sucks, Moose. I'm hot, horny, and hungry all at the same time. How is this in any way fair?"

"Your brother will bring up some food soon. Hopefully some for me, too, so I can make it through your next flare up."

Gabe chuckled, looking up as he heard a noise in the next room. "Sam, I hope you know I don't plan to give you up after this heat. I know it'll be complicated because we're from different biker gangs, but I'm willing to work all that out."

Sam cupped Gabe's chin in his hand and forced the blond to meet his gaze, staring into whiskey gold tinged with the brighter shade of omega arousal. "Look, Gabe, I plan to give up the Demon Hunters. That was never the life I wanted, but I knew that it was the only way to find Dean. I graduated high school a couple of years early and impressed a few big colleges, so I can get a full ride somewhere, finish my education, and be ready to provide a real home for my own family. All I ever wanted was Dean back, and now I've found him, so I don't need to be a biker anymore. And I'll find a way to stay in your life, too, since you seem so keen on keeping me."

"Damn straight," Gabe replied, turning toward the door at a sharp knock. Sam, falling back into full alpha mode, pulled the blanket up to cover their lower bodies, helping Gabe into a sitting position before calling for their visitor to enter. As expected, it was Alfie with a couple trays of breakfast, each piled with anything he could find downstairs, including fruit, an omelet for each of them, and some pastries for Gabe. "Thanks, babiest bro. Are you watching out for Dean-o too, or is he is Cas's hands?"

"Cas," Alfie replied, turning toward the door and accepting a large pitcher of ice water that Adam had been holding in the main room. The young alpha wouldn't dare enter what was effectively Gabe's nest during his heat, but he wanted to help as best he could. "He asked why I didn't go into heat with you."

Sam glanced down at Gabe as the omega wolfed down his breakfast. He didn't have much experience with omegas, but he knew that ones in the same family unit tended to go into heat together, often to the annoyance of the family members who had to take care of multiple angry, horny siblings. "You went into heat early? Because of me?"

"Yep, seems so. I told you I plan to keep you, and apparently this was the only way we were going to be together. I think I may have been catching your scent for the past few nights since you moved in here, so my body just did what omegas do when they find a mate."

Alfie shrugged as he placed a pile of soft towels and clean sheets on the table near the door. "It's about time you found someone. I'll be back in a few hours to change your sheets and give you time to shower. The front desk manager said they have some heat supplies available, so I'll check on them before I return. Any cravings today or are you good?"

Gabe, who had eaten all of his food and started picking at the edges of Sam's plate, shrugged. "Fruit, mostly. By tomorrow I won't want to eat at all."

Sam tilted his head. "Really? Why?"

"After an omega ovulates, all they want to do is mate, so they don't even waste energy digesting food," Alfie explained, having forgotten for a moment that Sam was young and had never had the chance to partner an omega in heat. "Honestly, it surprises me that Gabe can eat at all. I never manage more than breakfast on my first day before food is just too much. I know that alphas eat sporadically throughout their rut, so I'll keep bringing food and some orange juice for your fridge. If you need anything in particular, let me know."

"Thanks, Alfie."

* * *

Dean sighed and pushed his workbook away, dropping his pencil and watching as it rolled to the edge of the table. He couldn't concentrate with two of his friends missing, and Cas had been on a conference call for nearly two hours. Balthazar had gone to arrange for furniture deliveries to the new house and to make sure that they were set to meet with the lawyers and finalize the sale later that week. Dean almost couldn't believe that they could move into that nice, big house with the flowering trees he liked so much in only a few days, but even that enticement couldn't keep him from feeling lonely.

Benny, who had been helping Cas run numbers from their businesses in Chicago, walked into the main suite and scrunched his nose, clearly scenting how terribly upset the newest member of their pack was becoming. Turning on his heel, he returned to the bedroom, shooing his boss out and pointing at the despondent young omega.

"Dean, what are you up to there?"

Dean's head shot up at Cas's deep voice, fumbling for his pencil as he stammered out a response. Well, he tried to; none of the sounds were really shaped at all like words, and he reached up to rub his collar as he faded off. "Just . . . studying," he managed at last.

Cas reached over and closed the workbook, ruffling Dean's hair as the omega offered a short, shocked purr. "That sounds kinda boring, to be fair. I bet Gabe and Alfie would have given you a break from your studies by now if they weren't both so busy next door. What do you say we go work on your driving some more so you can take your test next month?"

Dean nodded, his scent instantly loosing that watery despondence and turning bright with the excitement that spending time in the car always brought. He liked cars much more than bikes, though he hadn't told Cas that yet. Despite his silence on the subject, he was sure that the alpha had pretty much figured it out by now. "Can we get lunch too? I didn't eat much for breakfast."

"Of course." Cas grabbed his jacket, passing Dean's over to him. "Are you still worried about Gabe? I am, so it's okay if you are."

"Is he going to join that other alpha? Is he going to leave us?" It was the first time that Dean had verbally added himself to Cas's gang, considering himself part of the family that Gabe might be leaving, and the alpha took a moment to savor his pride at that before answering.

"He won't leave us, Dean. I know that it seems normal to you that an omega would leave to join his new alpha, but Gabe isn't like that. He has always dreamed of bringing an alpha home, and this guy is significantly younger than my brother. When you meet him, I think you'll understand that this alpha is not threatening to break apart our family."

"Good," Dean whispered, following Cas into the elevator. He fingered the car keys in his pocket and let the sound of them calm him. "I don't want to lose any of you."

"Hmm, you should be more concerned about the consequences of having my omega brothers hunting alphas to bring home. It's complicated to introduce more dominants into a pack structure like ours, but as long as they keep crushing on bikers I think I can make it work."

"They?" Dean tilted his head at that, climbing into the passenger seat of the car and handing the keys to Cas. He wasn't licensed yet, and without a high school education he wasn't allowed to get a learner's permit. Cas would take him to a few empty parking lots that his gang members had found where they could practice in peace.

"Yeah, Alfie is sniffing around the Demon Hunters' second alpha, half-brother of the leader."

"The blond one? He's young." Dean had seen that blue-eyed teen a couple of times, and he had that rangy look of a young alpha who hadn't grown into his frame yet. To be fair, the tall one with the longer hair looked young, too.

"He's sixteen, apparently, but he pushed himself to graduate high school early and emancipate himself. Technically, he's legally an adult. Alfie wouldn't jump him so young, but he's not above flirting with the kid. The leader isn't much older, just barely eighteen, but Gabe thinks that they are True Mates so age doesn't matter to him."

"You believe in that? True Mates?"

Cas shrugged, spotting his chosen parking lot in the distance and merging over. "Yeah, I guess I do. I've scented them together, and he went into an early heat in response to the alpha moving into the room next door. I don't know how much experience you have with alphas, but generally a young alpha would never be allowed to partner an omega in heat. It's dangerous for both of them when the alpha isn't used to controlling his breeding instincts. This one went into rut when Gabe came to him, thought he wasn't nearly as frantic as I've seen with youngsters before. Gabe is pretty sure he loves the kid, so we shall see."

Cas parked the car and Dean hopped out, swapping places with his alpha. As soon as he was buckled in and had checked his mirrors, he turned back to the raven-haired man. "That's a good thing, right? Gabe wants love, a mate, and pups. This alpha can give him that."

Cas nodded, glancing around the lot to ensure that it was truly empty before signaling for Dean to put the car in drive. "Yeah, it would be nice to have a happy brother. He's been somewhat less of his normal self since he lost that pup. He says that he's over it, but I can see that he's not. He wants to find the right mate and start a family so badly."

"Yeah," Dean whispered, hands clenching tightly on the steering wheel. "Me too."

Cas reached over and rubbed the back of the omega's neck, not entirely sure how to answer. "You will," he finally settled on, smiling as Dean leaned back into his touch. "Now, let's practice that three-point turn again."

* * *

Benny woke to a soft tapping on his door, fighting through his sleep-induced grogginess and slipping out of bed. He almost made it to the front door before he realized that the tapping was coming from the smaller door that separated his room from the one next to it, the room that Gadreel used. Fully alert, Benny turned the lock and slowly opened the door, smiling at the tentative omega standing on the other side. Each room had a door that opened in, so they both had to be unlocked to pass between the two suites. "Hey, _cher._"

"Hey."

"Couldn't sleep?"

Gadreel nodded his head, working his jaw for a moment before replying. "Gabe's heat is getting to me, I think. It shouldn't, since we're not related, but I think my omega knows that he threw Sam into an early rut. It knows that he will be family soon and it wants to know why I am not fully responding to that scent. I'm old enough to control myself, and my birth control will keep my cycle stable for now, but there's a part of me that needs to _breed_. It's very distracting."

Benny chuckled and reached out to run a gentle hand down the tall omega's arm, wondering which of them was currently winning in the height department. Probably Gadreel, but he was crouched in on himself in an instinctive omega reaction to being near a partner he fancied. "It's not easy to be around Gabe in heat, I agree with you on that. But what do you need from me?"

Gadreel looked up, pale blue eyes meeting darker ones in the dim light from his room, bright gold slowly overtaking the calmer color. Benny, well used to controlling his alpha's reactions to alluring young omegas, let red bleed into his irises, offering a slightly feral grin as he reached up to cup Gadreel's chin. The omega purred softly, leaning into the touch. "I need you to quiet my omega for the night. I'm not asking for anything permanent, but you're _right here_ and you smell so good, Alpha."

Something primal reared up inside Benny at that word, and he growled before pulling Gadreel into his room and pushing at the door, not caring if it actually closed or not. In the semi-darkness, he led the omega to his bed, grinning as the whining man found himself trapped against the mattress. "I haven't shared a bed since I left Louisiana," Benny whispered, nipping the sharp lines of Gadreel's jaw. The omega melted in his grip, arousal coloring his freesia and lavender scent as he pressed himself against the burly alpha. "Are you sure you want this?"

"Yes, Benny, I want this."

Benny helped Gadreel out of his shirt, pausing to nip at the skin he exposed as Gadreel started working on the strings of his sleeping pants. "Look, _cher_, I definitely didn't plan on this when we left Chicago, and we've been busy ever since. I don't have any . . . supplies."

Gadreel ran his hands across Benny's chest, purring at the strength of his chosen alpha as they managed to lose the rest of their clothes. Gadreel was tall for an omega, and strong enough to go toe-to-toe with any alpha he'd ever met, but his size turned most potential partners away. If the color of his growing knot was any indication, the omega's size wasn't turning Benny off at all. "I'm on birth control, Benny, and weeks from my heat. If you don't use that impressive cock to start pounding me into this mattress in the next minute, we're going to have a bigger problem than your lack of condoms."

The alpha grinned as his eyes flashed red and he leaned over the omega stretched out in his bed and nuzzled at his neck, Gadreel's purr deepening at the scratch of scruff against his sensitive skin. "As you wish, my omega."

* * *

Cas sighed and leaned against the door frame, Balthazar blushing and trying to cover his eyes beside him. "This really isn't going to end, is it? The Demon Hunters are going to keep hunting down my gang members until there is no clear division between the families anymore. At least you aren't sleeping with one of them."

Balthazar cleared his throat uncertainly, suddenly wishing that he had offered to wake Benny on his own. "Well, cousin, I'm fucking the real estate agent, so I'm not sure that's better. At least Benny picked a biker?"

Said biker was curled up against the burly alpha's side, a thin sheet carelessly draped over their naked forms and the scent of alpha musk and omega slick still heavy in the air. Balthazar had already opened the balcony doors to air it out, but it wouldn't fade until the pair of them took a shower. Preferably alone, but the cracked door between Benny's room and the adjoining one to the left rendered that impossible. "I've never seen him sleep like this," Cas murmured.

"Gadreel probably wore him out. He's big for an omega, probably has lots of stamina." The leaner alpha grinned as a comparison popped into his mind, one that would be certain to end this conversation and leave him in peace to wake his friend. "He's pretty much the same height and size as Dean; I bet your boy has loads of stamina, too. I'm surprised we haven't found you like this in the mornings."

Cas blushed, actually blushed, which was shocking enough to distract Balthazar from the scene in front of them. "I'm not sleeping with Dean, Zar. I wouldn't take advantage of him like that."

"Take advantage? Cassie, the boy is practically throwing himself at you. The only reason you haven't scent bonded yet certainly has nothing to do with what he wants. You really haven't made a move on him yet? He's a pretty thing, and kinder than he has any right to be after what he went through."

Cas stalked back into the main room, running a hand over his face. "That's exactly why I can't give him what he's so clearly asking for. Zar, he was . . . brainwashed and flat-out tortured by Azazel for a decade; he hasn't had time to heal from that. I know he wants me, but I don't think it's for the reasons you think."

"It's not . . . Cas, he doesn't see you as the alpha who owns him. He sees you as a friend, as someone who cares about him, and he cares about you in return. I know you've never had a serious relationship, but I would hate for you to lose your chance at happiness when it's right there, _in your bed_, waiting for you."

Cas growled and stomped toward the door, the burning anger in his scent not quite enough to cover up his watery despair. "I don't want to talk about this. Wake Benny and take Dean down to breakfast. I have to go meet with Crowley."

Balthazar sighed and turned back to the bedroom, wondering what he could possibly do to help his cousin see through his own blindness. Dean wanted Cas, everyone in the gang knew it, and he was going to ask the alpha to attend his next heat. Maybe that was the ticket, Balthazar mused as he filled a paper cup with water at the sink and measured the distance to Benny's bed. If Cas partnered Dean in his heat, he would have to admit his love for the boy. Deciding that his best course of action was to wait for that, the blond alpha tossed the water at Benny's face.

The alpha woke with a start, all raging eyes and growls, but he recognized his friend quickly enough, the red fading from his eyes. Balthazar wasn't stupid enough to get close to an alpha with a partner until said alpha was fully conscious and processing information calmly, hence the cup of water. "Better?"

Benny snorted and wiped his face on the blanket, smiling at the omega still sleeping peacefully beside him. "So Cas sent you to wake me."

"In all fairness, I'm probably the most expendable of his family members."

"Unlikely. You're currently sleeping with the real estate agent and he wouldn't dare harm _that_ relationship. I thought I would get to sleep in today, though, since I'm not on the schedule."

"Yeah, my 'insurance policy' gave Cassie a ring and said he had some final paperwork to go over before they meet with the lawyers tomorrow. Who knows? He wants us to get Dean fed and keep him entertained for a few hours."

"You know, I never thought I'd miss Gabe so much." Benny nudge Gadreel, smiling at the omega as he blinked blue eyes in the pale light streaming into the room. "Time to wake up, _cher_. If you're hungry, I'm about to take Dean down to breakfast apparently, and we wouldn't mind your company."

"Would Castiel allow that?" Gadreel sat up and stretched, revealing bite marks peppering his chest that would be bruises by late morning, clearly unconcerned with his state of undress in front of Balthazar. It was unusual behavior in unmated omegas, but evidently he had claimed Benny in some fashion the night before and the presence of another alpha didn't worry him.

"He won't know, and I don't rightly care much at the moment. Dean could use a new friend, especially with Gabe and Alfie indisposed for much of this week."

Gadreel nodded, slipping out of bed and heading for the bathroom. "Gabriel's heat should subside today at some point. His scent was fading last night. Benny, would you care to join me for a quick shower?"

"Emphasis on 'quick'," Balthazar interjected, amazed that neither his friend nor the omega he was passingly acquainted with were in the least concerned that he was seeing them naked. In all fairness, it was a sight he was eager to forget, but they must have had one hell of a fuck the night before to be so carefree the next morning. "I'll make sure Adam and Alfie are provisioned and meet you in Cas's suite when you're done."

"Sure thing, brother," Benny replied, eagerly following his omega into the bathroom.

"I mean it with the 'quick'!"


End file.
